


Embers and Fireglow

by BronzeDragon13



Series: Fire House Collection [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Fluff, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:28:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 64,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23683150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BronzeDragon13/pseuds/BronzeDragon13
Summary: The second installment of Fire House stories. More family moments of the 118.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Fire House Collection [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704040
Comments: 489
Kudos: 544
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	1. Chapter 1

**5\. Bat**

Athena wasn’t a big fan of animals. She tolerated them, understood that they were meant for people that could handle their houses being destroyed or having their lives revolve around a food/walk schedule, and she already had two children, plus a husband, to watch over. Personally, that was enough for her. She figured she was in the home stretch; May was set to move into college at the end of the summer, Harry was doing well with school and had finally convinced his parents, and Bobby, to let him sign up for a long-term summer camp.

Soon, it would be just her and Bobby, the house turned into an empty nest, something she had never experienced before. For the time being, however, she had a full, loud house. May had shut herself up in her room, citing homework, but Athena knew she was researching prom dresses, and Harry was playing on his Xbox, leaving Athena and Bobby to their own devices. Bobby was starting dinner, something new regarding chicken, vegetables, and rice, and Athena had gone up to their bedroom to shower.

It had been a hectic day, filled with back-to-back calls, and all she wanted to do was sit down for more than ten minutes and enjoy a complete homecooked meal, instead of scarfing something quick down in her patrol car. She was just finishing pulling on her clothes, tidying up the bathroom, when she heard a sound that snapped her back into cop mood. Harry’s shriek pierced through the house, a sound no mother wanted to hear from their child, and Athena was bounding out of the room to the stairs. Her phone was cued up, and she shouted at May to stay in her room as she passed her in the hallway, as she took the steps two at a time.

When she got to the kitchen, it wasn’t an attempted murder or home invasion that greeted her. Instead, it was to the sight of her son, safety on the other side of the patio door, watching on as Bobby was trying to catch something with a sauce pot and broom. She put her phone away, took a breath to slow her heartrate, taking in the fact that her family was safe and whole.

“What on earth is going on here?” She demanded. Her husband, finally taking stock that she was standing in the threshold of the kitchen, looked sheepish.

“I thought I would open the patio door, get some fresh air in the house, and we got a visitor instead.” Bobby said. He pointed to broom handle up to the light fixture; on it, clinging on it with all its might, was a bat. A shivering, tiny, black bat.

Athena was not here for this.

This was her house, not the bat's, and she did not appreciate having the living daylights scared out of her when she was supposed to be off shift. Thankfully, there was a sliding door for the kitchen, and she gently shut it, leaving her and Bobby in the room with the bat.

“What’s the plan?”

“I’m trying to get him down, maybe get him in the pot, then take him outside.” Bobby tried to get the bat to climb onto the broom bristles, which the bat did not appreciate, and took a few steps away, moving towards the edge of the light.

“Not with my good sauce pan, you aren’t.” Athena snapped. She stalked to the part of cabinet dedicated to their pots, pulled out a worn-down pot that neither of them was attached too, and thrust it at Bobby. “We’ll be using this one.”

It would have been funny to witness, observing a seasoned cop and a firefighter captain trying to figure out the best way to get the creature out of their house, and after several false attempts, they finally got the bat onto the broom. Neither of them moved, not sure of what they would do once they got to this point, and just looked at each other. On the broom, the bat twitched and Athena glared at it, daring it to move. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the bat that they needed to worry about.

Athena loved her children, wouldn’t trade them for anything, and would willingly lay down her life for them. For a split second, as Athena saw the edge of the door keeping the bat contained to the kitchen move, and Athena could feel her 'mom voice' preparing to activate. The screen door separating the kitchen from the living room slide open, revealing May, and the bat saw its chance. As if it had gotten its second wind, it took off from the broom, flying past Athena, going over May, who was now freaking out as she took in the situation, and into the living room. Harry, the only smart one of the family, choose to stay outside on the deck.

He was smart, and brought his phone with him, and decided to start recording.

“So, what you are currently seeing is my Mom and Bobby trying to get a bat out of the house. May let it into the living room. Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes for them to get it out?” Harry narrated. Then, he sent it to the group chat, which instantly started to explode with comments and emojis.

“Harry Elijah Grant, you put that phone down, now.” Athena tried to sound stern and the effect was lost due to her current position: up on the arm of the couch, sauce pan in one hand, old manila folder in the other, as she tried to catch the bat as it circled around her.

“You guys are doing great!” Harry said cheerfully. “I’ll just stay out here, I wouldn’t want to get in your way, Mom.”

Ten minutes later, the plan to catch the bat in the living room had been abandoned; instead, Athena had gone to close the rest of the doors in the house, to stop it from going into one, and May had opened the patio door. Bobby was on bat watch. Harry was taking more videos, absolutely gleeful from his spot on the patio floor, and he was replying to everyone’s comments on the funny situation. May, deciding that now was her chance to escape, joined him and started to look over the replies.

“I bet Chimney is saving these.” She said.

“Chris likes the videos.” Harry grinned at her. “I bet Buck is already looking up stuff on bats.”

“Of course he is. It’s Buck.”

“If the two of you are done chatting, we are going to try moving the…creature, out of the house.” Athena announced.

Bobby, by some stroke of luck, had gotten the bat back onto the broom. He was slowly inching towards the door, everyone eyeing the bat that was now almost relaxing on the faded bristles, as Athena manned the door. Once Bobby had reached the patio deck, Athena slid the door shut, sighing in relief. Bobby walked towards the back of the yard, where there was plenty of trees and foliage, and gently brought down the broom. The bat, sensing freedom, flew off into the trees.

“Well, now that that is taken care of, I’m going to get back to dinner.” Bobby said with a tired air to his voice.

“Sounds like a plan.” Athena turned to face her children. “The two of you can start helping me to disinfect the house.”

“No, Mom, come on!” May cried. “I didn’t even do anything!”

“You opened the door and let it into my living room.” Athena pointed out. She turned her eyes onto her son. “And you, you left us and decided to let us do all the work.”

“You had it covered.”

“Why are there forty messages on my phone? Harry, you took videos?” Bobby cried out. Athena narrowed her eyes.

“That’s what you were doing?” Harry swallowed and edged back a few inches.

“No?”

“Harry, I am going to go back inside, and start cleaning. By the time I get back from the basement, you better be working with your sister.”

Athena was used to commanding officers of all types, had dealt with egos larger than the state of California, and had just watched as a tiny, black bat invaded her home. She was not playing any games at the moment, not even with her own child. Harry, sensing the growing storm coming from his mother, quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket, bolting inside and calling out that he would fetch the supplies from the basement. May remained on the patio, arms crossed, waiting for her turn.

“You know, you’d think by now he would learn not to lie to you.” May said cheekily.

“You’re on thin ice, too, May. Inside, go help your brother.” Athena watched as she went, rolling her eyes as she did, and Athena wondered if the teenage attitude would pitter out soon. She hardly ever acted like a bratty teenager, which Athena was immensely grateful for, but she did love being sarcastic at times and had mood swings like the best of them. She checked her phone, now filled with conversations about the bat, and the others were chiming in on other animals that had to be removed from their houses.

Athena chuckled at some of the responses (not the one about the centipede from Maddie, which had Buck going off), and typed out a quick text to say that the bat had been evicted and was off to bother someone else. She was still firm on not having any pets in the home, and it filled her with a small sense of glee to watch her children bicker amongst themselves over who got the easier cleaning jobs, as she moved into the kitchen. Wrapping her arms around Bobby, who was relaxed as he was back in his happy place, she reached around to steal a green pepper.

Bats were now firmly at the top of her ‘do not tolerate’ animal list.


	2. Chapter 2

**61\. Healthy**

Blood thinners sucked.

Besides the fact that if he didn’t take them daily, Buck was looking at potentially throwing another blood clot, and he would rather avoid that. So, he took the stupid pill once a day, glaring at the orange pill bottle, wondering when he could finally stop taking them; they tasted like chalk and he was now on an uncomfortable first name basis with the local pharmacist. Part of taking the medication was knowing when to spot side effects.

Buck had hoped that he wouldn’t have to deal with those in addition to everything else. Light duty was fine, even if he missed his old job with every fiber of his being, and he often contemplated simply quitting at odd intervals of the day. Not that he would; he would just bust his ass and get back to his team. He never wanted a desk job and wasn’t about to start now. If only the stupid blood thinners and potential threats of another clot would let him.

See, Warfarin had some unpleasant side effects, and Buck had been aware of them prior to starting the medication. His doctor was upfront, letting him know he would probably experience one or two of the side effects, and to let him know immediately when that happened. So, he started the medication, keeping track of how many little white pills were left in the bottle, but his hope started to wane when he finished the first bottle and started on the second.

He was almost twenty-eight, he shouldn’t need to take this, shouldn’t need to justify to the pain in the ass older pharmacist that yes, this was his prescription, not a mistake on the order. At first, Buck didn’t mention that he was experiencing some side effects, not wanting to scare his friends anymore than he already did, and he was scared too if he had to admit it. Just like before, staying in his apartment whenever he could became a habit, and then it became the only way he could work through the problems in peace.

The blood thinners caused severe headaches, almost similar to a migraine, that would pop up without warning. He was limited in what he could take for it, since Ibuprofen wasn’t a smart pick, so he started keeping spare bottles of Tylenol in his desk. If he was caught, Buck blamed his leg, which wasn’t a lie; he was already giving Bobby and Maddie updates after each doctor’s appointment, he didn’t want to worry them more and potentially give more reasons why he shouldn’t come back to the station.

“It’s fine, you’re okay, you’re okay.” Buck chanted as he was curled up into the tiniest ball he could manage on his bed. His apartment was darkened as much as possible, all the lights kept off, the blinds pulled down as far as they could go. He regretted, for the first time, getting an apartment that was composed of windows for the majority of one wall. “It’s only a little pain, it’s fine, you’ve had worse.”

Along with the headaches, some days were spent curled up on the couch or the bathroom floor. The medication had to be taken with food, to avoid messing with his stomach, but it also could cause severe stomach and abdominal pain that didn’t seem to have any reason. Buck would spend some nights hunched over on the side of the tub, wondering if he would get to sleep that night, constantly feeling torn between needing to vomit and wanting to claw his intestines out.

>>> Movie night on Friday? Christopher is on a Disney kick right now and you might be able to sway him away from Tangled. If I have to hear the soundtrack one more time I might go nuts.

Eddie had been texting him off and on throughout the day and Buck shakily replied to him.

<<< Sounds like a plan! And there’s nothing wrong with that movie, you just have bad taste.

Buck lurched to his feet, stomach heaving, and he let out a weak sob as nothing came up, only intensifying the pain. Buck didn’t manage to make it back to bed that night, which led to him ordering a new bathmat, made of memory foam, to make the cold tiles a bit more forgiving.

As if he wasn’t dealing with enough, joint swelling and pain was another gift that came from his medication. The sad part was that it wasn’t in his bad leg; no, that hurt on its own, the rest of the pain came from his shoulders, his knees, sometimes even his fingers. Occasionally it got so bad that he wasn’t able to raise his arms up very far, unable to wash his hair, or open certain containers. That meant the style of medication bottle he used changed, to account for the days he could press and twist the cap off.

“Oh, come on!” Buck shouted, dropping the bottle onto the counter, and he started to swear. Frustrated tears started to form and he angerly brushed them away. He could open a fucking pill bottle, he had done it before, why couldn’t he today? “Ow, come on, you piece of shit.” He managed to open it, but not before he had gotten indents from the top ridges on his palm; by that evening, he had bruising there.

Buck started to invest in other methods of relieving the pain; he bought another heating pad, larger this time, to use of his hip or shoulders, and his therapist started to give him other stretches for the rest of his body, not just his leg. It was becoming harder and harder to manage in the silence of his apartment, since most days even the slightly noise made his headaches worse, and other times he was too tired or sore to move around to do something. He missed seeing his friends, missed his old life, missed when he didn’t have to trying to choke down a stupid white pill that was keeping him alive.

“They have you working from home now?” Eddie asked. Buck was glad he was on the phone, not facetime, and Buck increased the heat settings on the control unit. “Seems weird.”

“We’ve just been doing a lot of reports. Some of them are longer to type up.” Buck said. He was stretched out on his couch, the smaller heating pad on his calf, the larger one on his shoulder. The pain and soreness had been bad today, bad enough that it took more than a few minutes to get a shirt on, and he was glad he didn’t put the heating pads away since the last time. “Now come on, tell me what you did today, no one wants to hear about my boring day writing down numbers and time."

Bruising was the most common side effect of the medicine. Buck didn’t know where half of them came from; some days he woke up and found half his arm painted in faint blueish purplish swatches, not understanding how he could have gotten them laying in bed, and not being able to do anything about it. He went out and bought some cream designed to help with bruising, reducing the pain and speeding up the healing process.

“Bucky, you’re clumsy.” Christopher giggled as his shirt moved and revealed a fading bruise.

“I guess so, buddy, I’ll be more careful.” Buck promised. Christopher happily munched on his sandwich, oblivious to the deflection, and Buck managed to keep the questions off for the rest of their time together. But just because Chris didn’t talk to him about it didn’t mean that he didn’t tell his father; the next time Christopher was dropped off, there was a roll of bubble wrap in his bookbag.

“What’s this?” Buck asked. Christopher laughed as he continued to arrange his dinosaur collection in preparation for their playdate.

“Daddy says we need to wrap you in bubble wrap to keep you from getting hurt. I took some last night and snuck it in.” Buck offered a smile, pushing down the sting of those words, knowing that Christopher didn’t realize just how much he was already hurting. It wasn’t just from moving in a certain way or accidently hitting something. Buck would notice bruises on his legs from Christopher’s crutches, which never happened before, or spotting on his arms from a too tight hug.

He pulled out his long-sleeved shirts, citing that he was cold, even if the weather wasn’t below seventy degrees most days. The shirts seemed to hang off him, pointing out that he was loosing weight, which was due to the stomach pain; he couldn’t manage three full meals anymore, picking throughout the day, and on the instances where he had to sit through a full meal, he payed for it once he got home. He started leaving extra blankets and pillows on the ground floor by the couch on the days when he was too dizzy to manage the stairs. Modifications were made to the stairs, providing additional grip on the floorboards, and reinforcing the handles.

When asked, Buck said he wanted to make it safer for Christopher.

He never mentioned to his friends that sometimes the dizziness got so bad that he could even stand up, eyes slammed shut in an effort to get the room to stop spinning, and he would never reveal that he once had to crawl up the stairs to get to the bathroom. The only one where he actually couldn’t hide it was the vision changes. When he was a kid, Buck needed to have glasses, and he only needed them for occasional reading issues. This had him digging through his belongings to find his spare pair, a weathered pair of black frames, and he began to wear them for the entire day when he was home. At work he switched to contacts.

“I didn’t know you started wearing your glasses again.” Maddie said when she was over one afternoon, frowning, and Buck shrugged.

“It’s just due to all the paperwork, Mads, my eyes get tired.” Buck brushed off. “It’s nothing to worry about, it’s only for when I’m stuck at the desk or when I’m reading here.”

“I just haven’t seen you need them in years, Evan, so it’s odd to see you bringing them out more.”

“Like I said, it’s only for the time being, I won’t need them forever.” Buck hoped his voice wasn’t coming out in a pleading tone, even as he was internally begging Maddie to drop the subject, and he moved to bring their plates to the sink. “I have contacts in case I need them or the glasses break.”

“Alright.” Maddie said after a moment. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay, you barely ate anything.” Maddie made them BLTs; Buck hadn’t been able to finish half of his. He gave his sister a smile, hoping it would disarm her and allow them to go to another conversation topic, and quickly thought up an excuse.

“I just made a large breakfast, Maddie.” He hadn’t eaten breakfast in a week. “It’s fine.”

Buck never used to make this many excuses and lies before. Especially not to Maddie, or Eddie, hell, even to Christopher. But it was the only way he could still feel in control, could still allow himself to get through the day, and it let him think that this was only temporary. Feeling awful, going through pain alone during the middle of the night, sometimes not being able to even get out of bed, it was all temporary.

“If you say so.” Maddie finally said. Buck gave her another grin, threw out another topic, and ignored the incoming pain in his stomach.

He was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are awesome, thanks for having a great response to the second installment :)


	3. Chapter 3

**90\. Murder**

Hen wasn’t bothering to hide her grin as she snuggled in next to Karen; they had taken one of the smaller bowls for their own popcorn stash, not wanting to lose any like last time to a sudden food fight, plus Chimney was bound to over-salt it eventually. Bobby and Athena were hosting movie night this month, insisting it had been too long since they last had one, not bothering to mention they just had a get together at Chimney and Maddie’s new place that left half of them staying the night in various states of sleep on any open, comfortable surfaces.

“What was the movie again?” Karen asked, popping a piece into her mouth, and Hen let her grin turn into a full-on smile.

“The Conjuring.” Hen already knew how it was going to play out; Chimney loved horror movies, as did she, Athena, Karen, and Eddie. Bobby and Buck could easily go without them. “So, we get the pleasure of the movie and seeing Bobby and Buck freak out.”

The last time they had watched a horror movie, Athena had picked been Zombieland; Chimney had tried to scare Hen by hiding under the bed, accidently getting Buck, and ended up with a bruised hand since Buck had stepped on him in his haste to get away.

“Oh, this is going to be good.” Karen said.

It was clear as the movie started that Bobby wasn’t into it, trying to find excuses to leave the room, such as getting anyone a refill, making the comment that everyone should have their own bowl of popcorn, that maybe we should adjust the lights. Finally, Athena moved herself on the couch to where her legs draped over his lap, pinning him to the seat.

“You don’t go down into the basement.” Buck grumbled as the main character wondered down the steps. “That’s a sure way to get killed.”

“They won’t kill her off.” Eddie commented as he stole a sip of Buck's drink. “She’s important to the series.”

“They made more of these?” Buck asked. Predictably, three minutes later, a jump scare happened. Bobby jumped a bit, causing Athena to smirk, and Buck moved more into Eddie’s side.

“You know, I think we would do alright in a haunted house.” Chimney suggested as he flicked up a piece of popcorn into his mouth. His aim was off, causing it to land on the floor, and Athena gently whacked the back of his head.

“Don’t get that on my floor.” She scolded. “Of course, we would do alright in a house like that.”

“Half of us would be either possessed or dead by the end.” Buck argued. Chimney turned his head and Hen could already see the upcoming debate. Karen, well versed with how hard Chimney could go off when he started to rant, leaned back to enjoy.

“Wrong. You would probably get murdered, with your luck, but Athena, Eddie, Karen, Hen, and I would live.” Chimney smirked. “People of color, plus a cop, we’re golden.”

“Unless you die in the beginning as the token killing.” Eddie mused. “Since we’re all dating, any of us could die while having sex, like Friday the 13th, but that’ll probably be Buck and I.” Eddie patted Buck’s cheek as his boyfriend glared at him. “Sorry, babe, I love you, but even I know it’s true.”

“You know what, Bobby and I are gonna survive, wanna know why? We would get the car keys and leave you all behind to your haunted house.” Buck said. "And, if I did die, I'm coming back to haunt all of you." Bobby nodded.

“Taking it one step further, Buck and I wouldn’t even go on the trip.”

“Plus, the building wouldn’t be up to code, that’s for sure.”

“It’s really bad judgement to enter a hazardous building.”

“Which is poor behavior on everyone, excluding Karen and Athena, since you all are firefighters.”

The debate eventually died down, allowing them to get back to the movie, which had to be rewound since they had missed over ten minutes of the plot. Since Chimney was stretched out on the floor, and it was slightly dark, he decided that he wanted to have some fun. The way the living room was set up allowed him to be placed in between Bobby and Athena on the loveseat and where Eddie and Buck were curled up on one half of the couch. Slowly, in an effort to be stealthy, he began moving his arm. Eddie caught on quickly, not letting Buck know what was happening, and moved their feet so that they were tangled around one another. It also placed Buck’s right foot on top of Eddie’s, in perfect placement for Chimney to grab. Victim in place, Chimney waited, keeping his eyes on the screen. Then, when he could tell that a scare was coming, he timed it so that his movement lined up with the movie.

Character on screen was plunged into darkness following a jump scare.

Chimney grabbed Buck’s foot, causing Buck to jump, leaving Eddie laughing hard and with their popcorn bowl balancing on the edge of the couch.

“Oh, my god, you should have seen your face!” Chimney choked out. Buck glared at him. “It’s too easy, Buck, oh that was perfect.”

“You suck, Chim.”

“Nope, that’s Eddie’s job.” Bobby, in the middle of taking a drink, started to cough and Karen finally broke out into full body laughter.

“Okay, I think it’s time to take ten.” Bobby gently moved Athena’s legs off him, and stood. “Anyone who needs a bathroom break, go for it, Buck, I need another set of hands in the kitchen.” Flicking Chimney’s ear as he stood, Buck followed Bobby, leaving Eddie still smiling on the couch.

“You know that’s gonna come back and bite you in the ass, right?” Hen pointed out. Chimney shrugged.

“It was worth it.”

“All of you are menaces.” Athena gripped. She sighed and walked into the kitchen. There wasn’t much noise coming from the other room, which made them wonder what was happening.

“Everything alright in there?” Chimney called out. They didn’t get a response. “Guys?”

Exchanging looks with Eddie, the pair stood up, walking the short distance to the kitchen. The room was empty and silent.

“Okay, what the hell?” Eddie wondered. “Do they step out or something?”

“Nah, their keys are still there and we would have heard if they started up their cars.” Chimney said. “Hey, Bobby, did you get lost in your own pantry?” Shrugging and sharing a puzzled expression with Eddie, the two went back into the living room. Hen and Karen were gone.

“Alright, what the hell?” Eddie gripped. “Buck?” There wasn’t a response.

“Should we search the house?”

“You want to search the house? Without Athena’s permission.” Eddie scoffed. “Ya, good luck with that. I’m going to call Buck.” Eddie pulled out his phone, punched Buck’s call icon, and waited. The call went to voicemail. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the back deck. Whipping around, Chimney and Eddie walked over to the patio door, seeing nothing, before Eddie sighed.

“We should check it out.”

“This is how people die in horror movies.” Chimney said. “You first.” The backyard was empty, nothing amiss, until they round the corner and several sets of hands grabbed them.

“Holy shit!” Eddie cried. Buck was grinning with Athena; beside him, Bobby and Hen were laughing as Karen stood there, metal trash lid in her hands, watching them. “You guys tried to scare us.”

“Oh, there’s no try.” Hen teased. “You jumped, Diaz, and Chimney nearly took Bobby’s noise off.”

“I wasn’t spooked.” Chimney defended. “I’m ticklish.”

“I touched your shoulder.” Bobby said. “And, for the record, your sides and neck are ticklish.”

“It’s weird that you know that.” Karen said after a moment. Bobby sighed.

“Weird doesn’t cover it.” Bobby patted Chimney’s arm. “Come on, back inside, we have a movie to finish.”

“You are on the couch tonight.” Eddie informed Buck, who didn’t seem that worried, if his expression was to be believed.

“Sure, should I expect you to join me later or will I be pulled out of sleep and dragged back to bed?” Buck asked. Eddie stared at him. “Just trying to get a game plan here.”

“You guys suck.” Chimney complained.

“Shouldn’t have started something if you didn’t want to finish it.” Athena mentioned.

“I didn’t target you!”

“Nope, but I asked Bobby, and Bobby told Athena.” Buck said cheerfully. “Hen and Karen wanted to be included.”

“I’m sensing some favoritism.” Chimney pouted. “Heavy favoritism.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 31 days in quarantine...how's everyone holding up? Also, I'm super excited that you all enjoyed the previous chapter! Hurt Buck is a guilty pleasure to write. Leave a comment if you wish, stay safe everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

**28\. Concentration**

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Eddie asked as he gathered up his keys and took the travel coffee mug Buck pressed into his hands. Buck rolled his eyes and lightly kissed the corner of Eddie’s mouth.

“We’ll be fine. Chris has been looking forward to this all week.” Buck reassured him. “Eds, it isn’t the first time Hen and I have handled multiple kids. We can manage.” He glanced at the digital clock on the over. “You, on the other hand, are going to be late if you don’t leave soon.”

“I hate when our shifts don’t line up.” Eddie complained. It didn’t happen often, and Bobby did his best to balance the schedule, but things happened; this week, they were short a person, and Buck couldn’t take anymore overtime this pay period.

“Text me when you can and tell Hen and the kids I said hi.”

“You got it.” Buck knew it wasn’t easy for Eddie, to leave them when all he wanted to was go out and have fun. Their job was important and Eddie was damn good at it, so Buck wasn’t going to let him linger too much longer.

“Be good for Buck and Hen, alright, mijo.” Eddie said to Chris, who was happily munching on his English muffin, and gave him plenty of kisses on his cheeks and forehead. “I love you.”

“Ew, gross, Dad.” Chris squealed, face breaking out into a grin despite his words, before giving his own goodbye kiss and hug. “I’m always good for Buck.”

“Oh, right, my mistake.” Eddie joked. Buck walked him to the door, where Eddie pulled him in for a kiss, before slipping on his shoes. “Be safe.”

“Always.” Eddie promised. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Hen and Buck were scheduled to meet-up at Hen’s house in an hour, so Buck walked back to the kitchen to finish up breakfast and get ready. Christopher was excited, eagerly telling Buck all the different games they would play, and Buck did his best to follow along. After getting dressed, watching as Christopher packed his backpack up with various toys to share, Buck grabbed his car keys and they were off.

“Does Nina like dinosaurs?” Christopher asked from the backseat. Chris had numerous playdates with Denny before; Nina only recently. Everyone was trying their best not to overwhelm her, wanting her to feel comfortable, and express when she needed time alone.

“I’m not sure, bud, I’m sure she’d be willing to try it out.” Buck answered. “Just remember that she might be shy at first.”

“That’s okay. There was a really shy girl in my class and now we’re best friends.” Christopher often told him loads of stories from school and after picking Chris up so many times, Buck was fairly confident that he knew which student it was.

“Susie, right?”

“Yep!” Christopher confirmed with a blinding smile. Buck returned it, feeling that familiar warmth spread through his chest. He wanted to make sure he remembered those details, like Chris’s classmates, because it was important to Chris and, therefore, Buck tried to make an effort so it was important to him as well.

“Buck?”

“Yeah, Chris?”

“Do you like dinosaurs?”

“Not as much as you do.” Buck said with a smile. He had been with Eddie at the store when the dinosaur phase began; two weeks later, Buck and Eddie were tracking down books, videos, movies, and toys pertaining to the topic. Buck’s search history was all messed up now, often giving him adds relating to kids toys and obscure knock-off Land Before Time movies, but it made Chris happy so it was a worthy trade-off.

“What did you like as a kid then?” Chris had been asking more questions like that lately. Buck didn’t mind; kids were curious, and Chris was always wanting to know more. Eddie shamelessly listened in during those times, understanding that sometimes Buck didn’t like to talk about his childhood, but also aware that Chris could find the answer in some way.

“I liked amphibians.” Buck said as they turned onto the street. “Frogs and stuff. There was a creek near our house, so I would go looking for them when I could, try to match them up with what I learned from books.”

“We should get a frog!” Chris exclaimed as the car stopped and Buck unclipped the booster seat. “You can teach Dad and I.”

“I’ll ask your dad when I see him. I don’t think he’ll be too happy with a frog in his house.”

“It’ll make you happy, Dad won’t mind.” Chris said easily. He walked up to the door, insisting that Buck was going too slow, and greeted Hen with a smile when she opened the door.

“There you guys are, I was beginning to think you got lost.” Hen teased as she accepted Chris’s hug then offered one of her own to Buck.

“I’m gonna tell Dad we need to get a frog.” Chris spotted Denny, who had just come down the stairs, and then they were off, disappearing into the living room.

“A frog?” Hen asked. Buck shrugged.

“I’m not entirely sure yet.” Buck glanced around, noticing one less child present, and moved to let Hen close the door. “Nina feeling okay today?”

“She’s coloring in the kitchen. She’s excited, I think, just a little bit nervous. I’ll let her go out when she’s ready.” They walked into the kitchen, Nina indeed coloring on the table, and she offered a tiny smile when she saw them. “Nina, do you remember Buck?” Hen asked as she started to make coffee.

“Hi.” Nina offered a shy smile and Buck gave her one back.

“Hen tells me you’re coloring. Think I can join you?” Buck asked as he pulled out a chair. Nina nodded, handed him some crayons, and that was that. He and Hen talked as the coffee brewed, keeping two ears tuned into the living room, while Nina sat quietly with them. Occasionally, they asked Nina if she wanted to try to go play with the boys, and she shook her head, choosing to stay with them. He and Hen were debating what to do for lunch, Nina now perched in his lap as she finished her drawing, when the boys came in. Christopher had that ‘I’m planning something’ look on his face, one that Buck had come to learn with time meant that there would be a mess to clean later, and Buck wasn’t comforted when he spotted a similar one on Denny’s face.

“We need a pond.” Chris announced. Hen looked confused.

“A pond?”

“Momma, we’re trying to find frogs, we need a pond.” Denny said.

“We are not making a pond in the backyard. Mom isn’t gonna like that.” Hen informed her son.

“What about a puddle? Then the frogs can come to visit.”

“We can make it pretty, Mrs. Hen!” Hen and Buck shared a look. Karen loved her yard, and Buck was certain that if they brought out the hose and flooded her grass, both of them would be toast. Buck enjoyed living; he had seen Karen go off when a neighbor’s dog had ruined her flowerbed out in front of the house.

It was terrifying.

“Please, Mr. Buck, I wanna see a frog.” Nina pleaded. She turned the browns eyes on, and matched with the puppy dog looks on the two other kids, Buck could feel himself caving.

“There’s a park nearby that has a nature trail.” Buck suggested. “We could go there after lunch and try to find any frogs?” Hen looked relieved at his idea, also knowing how scary her wife could be in the face of destruction in her yard, and told the kids to go wash up as she started lunch.

“Alright, explain the frogs, Buck.”

“Chris is going through a dinosaur phase. He wanted to know what Eddie and I liked as kids.” At Hen’s questioning look, he continued. “Eddie liked race cars. I liked frogs. Seeing as how Chris has race cars at home, he’s now insisting that we get a frog.”

“Like, a stuffed animal?”

“Nope.” Buck shook his head. “An actual frog. Which isn’t going to happen because Eddie would absolutely freak out. Hen, the man once saw a frog sitting on our porch and begged me to move it.” Buck said. “He’s terrified of them. We’re gonna have to check pockets after this, one of them is going to try to smuggle a frog home, you watch.” Hen only laughed at him.

She wasn’t laughing when they did check the kids and found Denny trying to hide a tiny frog in his jacket pocket. Buck did laugh when Denny tried to sneak it to Chris, as Nina attempted to distract them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 32 has brought spring cleaning, me trying out a new baking recipe, and my dog officially trying to find space in the house from us since we never leave home anymore. How's everyone else holding up?


	5. Chapter 5

**71\. Paragraph**

Chimney was lucky that he was able to walk away from his car accident. He knew that the odds of him recovering, hell, even surviving were slim to none; however, not everyone had his team, and that put a lot of Chim’s fears to ease. There were the obvious signs of his injury, mainly the scar in the center of his forehead, and many believed that the mark was all Chimney had left of it. Chimney wished that was true. Even the doctors couldn’t explain how he dodged motor or vision deficits, couldn’t understand how his brain basically repaired itself, and he was back home after a short stint in an in-patient therapy wing. The only thing he couldn’t escape were the occasional migraines that started happening a year later.

“It could be due to the injury, or stress, honestly it’s hard to say.” Chimney’s doctor, who had been following him since the accident, wasn’t definite on what was causing the migraines. “Your scans came back clear, which is an excellent sign, and you haven’t been having reoccurring daily migraines.”

“They’ve been happening once every few weeks.” Chimney said. “I never used to get them before.”

“As I mentioned before, we can’t be sure that they are tied to the injury or a secondary cause. Are you able to identify when you feel a migraine coming, or do they begin with no warning?”

“I’m able to figure out when one is happening.” Chimney rubbed his hands together, feeling cold on the examination table, wondering why they still used the bright fluorescent lights in the office. “Usually there’s a throbbing, well, more like stabbing pain, behind my eyes. I can’t eat anything. Sometimes my vision goes a little weird.”

“Weird how?”

“Double vision, once I went totally black.” That had scared the crap out of his team; Bobby had been near him when it happened, and ended up shouting for the rest of his friends. When Chimney finally came around, it was to him lying down on the couch, blinds shut, with Hen keeping watch.

“That isn’t unusual for migraines. I can prescribe you some medication to try for them, the pills normally work well, the downside is that you need to take them before the migraine fully kicks in.” The doctor looked apologetic. “Sadly, if you miss that window, they usually just make you feel sicker.” Chimney took the prescription, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to try it out, and if it allowed him to get back to business as usual, then why not?

He began to take the pills with him to and from his place. A month later and he finally got a chance to use them. The shift had been busy, going back and forth, maybe having twenty minutes of a break before the next call came in. Eddie, deciding that he was going to use his time to grab some food and coffee, broke off from Hen and Buck, who decided that they wanted to get changed; Hen was sweaty, indents from her helmet stark against her forehead, and Buck’s hair was almost grey from the amount of soot he had to deal with. Chimney, torn between food and a hot shower, stopped as he got off the truck as a familiar pain went off through his skull. He didn’t let his flinch show, waving Eddie off as he went towards the locker room, closely followed by Bobby.

Not even bothering to take off his gear yet, Chimney opened his locker, grabbed the pill bottle, and took one with the bottle of water he kept in his work bag. After it was down, Chimney grimacing at the chalky after taste, he began the process of getting his gear sorted.

“Pain medication?” Bobby asked. Chimney shimmed out of his turn-out pants, checking for any tears, before grabbing his things to be hung up.

“Migraine pills.” Chimney took some paper towels and wetted them before washing off his arms and neck. “My doc thinks they might help.”

“How bad is it now?” Bobby waited until Chimney turned around before elaborating. “You wouldn’t be taking them if you didn’t feel one coming on.”

“It hasn’t gotten bad yet.” Bobby didn’t look reassured.

Chimney honestly couldn’t blame him; the first time it happened had been rough on everyone. Hen managed to stay with him after a call came in, Diego going in her place while another recruit filled in for him, and it left Chimney feeling worried all the same. He knew that everyone in the 118 was good at their job, but it was still his team, and you didn’t trust anyone as much as your own team to take care of one another. When they got back, Eddie had grabbed Chimney’s bag, helping him get comfortable. Buck did something with the blinds to better block the light and managed to snag the good pillow from the bunk room for him. Bobby didn’t force him to eat anything, only placing a bottle of water near him, with an empty, clean trash bin just in case. Hen stayed close, using her thumb to rub soothing circles on his forehead and neck, before she was called away.

Since then, whenever Chimney got a migraine, the rest of his friends were on edge. It was hard to see any of them in pain. If these pills worked, if they gave him the chance to take that away from the rest of the crew, then it would be worth it.

“You’ll tell one of us if it gets worse.” Bobby didn’t phrase it like a question and Chimney knew better than to argue.

“You got it, Cap.” Thankfully, they got more than twenty minutes before the next call came in. They flew down the stairs, donning their gear with ease, before piling into the truck.

“Four car collision.” Bobby informed them over the headset as the truck drove down the street. “No active fires on the scene, one car is flipped, they’re unsure about any fatalities.”

Once they got on scene, Chimney wasn’t sure how anyone could think that there wouldn’t be any deaths from this. One car was entirely crumpled, he wasn’t sure they could get the jaws of life in there, even with Eddie and Buck’s combined strength. Even so, that’s where Bobby directed the pair, instructing Hen and Chimney to go to the second car. The second and third car weren’t too bad, some scratches mostly, and that left Chimney feeling slightly better. As they moved onto the last car, Hen glanced back at the crumpled car, where she and Chimney watched Eddie and Buck move around.

“Anyone know what caused this?”

“I think I heard something about texting while driving.”

“Wonderful.” Chimney grumbled. “You look down to see some pointless message and take out three other vehicles.”

“At least there weren’t any kids, Chim.” The firefighter nodded, thanking the small mercies, before focusing on his job. An hour and a half later they were back at the station. Eddie and Buck disappeared into the locker room, each wearing the face that came with a loss on the job, and Chimney took his chance to stretch out on the couch. The pounding in his head wasn’t too bad, even the lights didn’t hurt too much as long as he didn’t look at them head on, so Chimney would tentatively say that the medication was doing something.

Hen’s hand appeared in his field of vision, holding a mug, and Chimney took the beverage. It wasn’t coffee, like he wanted, but tea was just as good. The friends sipped their drinks in silence, not needing to talk, keeping an ear out for the other three of their group. It wouldn’t do any good to go searching and drag them out before they were ready.

“Bobby said you took some medication earlier.” Hen turned her head to look at him. “How are you doing?”

“Good. Think the doctor might be on to something.” Chimney took a sip of his tea, wondered when they switched from black to green tea, and shrugged. “Pain isn’t as bad and it doesn’t have me taking up Bobby’s couch.”

“You love that couch because it has better back support, you liar.”

“Okay, fine. The cushions on that thing have to be memory foam.” Chimney knocked shoulders with Hen. “I’m alright, Hen, I think this could be a good thing.”

“So long as you tell us the minute you start to feel off.” Hen threatened. “I’m going to go out, get some little pill containers, that way we can all keep some with us incase one hits you while on a call or something.”

“If you insist.” Chimney laughed at the unimpressed look Hen shot him. “Best friend or not, I will still whoop your ass if you get sassy with me, Chim.”

Hen did get the pill containers, which everyone jumped on, and soon they each had their own little ‘Chim kit’ in their lockers and one in the truck and ambulance. It contained his medication, ear plugs, sleep mask, water, crackers, and anything else they could find. Chimney thought something new got added every few weeks; Hen made sure to keep the water and crackers freshly stocked, and Buck liked to research any new remedies they could try. In the end, the migraine medication did its job, keeping the pain at bay, which allowed him to continue doing his job. It didn’t fix the residual vision problems that popped up from his accident, which led to him getting glasses, and he wasn’t even surprised when his team began to take notice and care for that aspect. After all, it’s your team that has your back and Chimney didn’t ever have to question if his friends were there for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give it up for Day 33.
> 
> Hope everyone is doing well and keeping healthy. Leave a comment if you'd like to :)


	6. Chapter 6

**95\. Exemption**

Buck was the first one to find the cat. He had been getting out of his jeep, mind elsewhere as he made sure to grab all his belongings for his shift, when he went to step and jumped as a loud hiss rang out. Buck hadn’t noticed the grey cat, which had decided that it wanted to be right around Buck’s ankles, and now that it had been accidently stepped on, it moved in to attack.

“Son of bitch!” Buck cried as the cat took a swipe at his calf, most likely getting some scratches in, before darting off behind the building. He pulled up his pants and sure enough, he had five lovely red marks going across his skin. “Great.” He swiped an alcohol pad and cleaned it up before getting dressed. He passed Hen as he walked out over to the stairs.

“Watch for the grey cat when you leave.” Buck said. “I accidently stepped on its tail and it took a swipe at me.”

“Was it missing part of its ear?” Hen asked. Buck frowned, tried to think if he had noticed that, before shaking his head.

“Not that I saw.”

“It’s probably the same cat. Chim and I noticed it one day, pretty sure it’s a stray, but the thing is mean.” Hen casted a rueful look towards the entrance of the truck bay. “It chased Chimney one day, had him perched on the hood of his car, Bobby had to bribe it away with food before Chim could get down.”

When Chimney finally came in, the three of them exchanged tales, which Bobby began to take part in when he walked over for his morning coffee. The cat had to be an adult grey cat, missing part of an ear, and had no collar that they could see. They seemed to be in agreement that it must be a stray, due to the unkemptness of the fur, and general skittish behavior.

What they were not in agreement on was how Eddie got picked to be the only one in the entire 118 that was favored by the cat.

They were leaving after a shift, sun setting and casting rays of orange and yellow across the sky, when Buck saw it. The cat, sitting just on the edge of the driveway, watched them walk towards their vehicles, tail twitching the entire time.

“Cat spotted.” Chimney warned. Bobby, having been the recipient of having the cat attempt to climb his leg once, quickly got into his car which was the closest. Buck was mourning the fact that he and Eddie had driven in together and that he had parked the truck in the furthest spot possible. It also happened to be right by where the cat was. If Buck got scratched again, he was demoting Eddie. However, instead of getting angry, the car trotted over to Eddie…and began to rub against his ankles.

There was a sound coming out, and Buck originally thought it was growling, but after listening some more, Buck realized that the animal was purring. Purring, totally happy to curl against Eddie’s feet now, and the man was oblivious to the rest of them watching this with their mouths hanging open. He finally looked up, saw their expressions, and frowned.

“What’s wrong? You guys forget what a cat looks like?”

“We know what a cat looks like. That,” Chimney pointed down at the cat leaning against Eddie. “Is not a normal cat. That is the feral cat that keeps going after all of us.”

“Doesn’t seem too bad to me.” Eddie knelt down, Buck’s eyes widening as he watched, and he hoped that Eddie didn’t try to kiss it or something. “Cats and I have always gotten along.”

“Wonderful. Tell your little friend to stop trying to get onto the roof of my car in the mornings.” Hen complained, making it to her car, and drove off. Chimney patted Buck’s shoulder, who was watching the scene with a touch of worry as the cat stretches, claws peeking out, and turned to leave.

“Have fun, boys. Eddie, if you die, I’ll be sure to have your tombstone say death by killer cat.” Eddie didn’t even look up from where he was now petting the cat and flipped him off. Eventually, the cat got its fill, rolling over and prancing away. Buck forced hand sanitizer onto him before he even opened the door.

“You don’t know where its been.” Buck snipped. “Do I need to tell you about all the different kinds of bugs and germs that can be transmitted from cats?”

“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me anyway.” Buck did all the way home because Eddie walked away with nothing. Chimney still had the mark from when the cat went after his shoe.

So began the newest development with their cat visitor. Eddie was the only one who could walk around without getting chased, could pet the animal, and was the one to notice it didn’t have any tags. Eddie brought up bringing the cat home once. Buck shut that down; Chris would not be getting scratched daily and he already knew Argo didn’t like cats. She thought they were more of a play toy rather than another living being. One day, Eddie pulled into the station with a cat tower in the back of his truck. He carried it over to the portion of wall that was covered from the rain and set it up. Soon, he was being watched by the other four members of his team.

“What are you doing?” Hen finally asked. Eddie stopped, turning to look at his puzzled teammates, and turned back to his task.

“Setting up a cat tower. Smokey needs a place to relax.”

“Smokey?” Buck hedged. Eddie nodded.

“Little guy needed a name.”

Oh, no.

Buck knew where this was heading. Bobby shot him a sympathetic look. Once you named an animal, the chances of you taking it home increased.

“You don’t know if it’s a boy cat.” Chimney pointed out. Eddie shrugged.

“It’s a gender-neutral name.” Eddie finished and grinned at the finished product. “Now, Smokey can chill here.” He saw the looks and rolled his eyes. “He needs something, guys, especially since none of us can adopt him right now.”

“Right now?” Buck blurted out. It was decided; if his boyfriend brought that cat home, he was taking Chris and Argo and retreating to Abuela’s house.

“Something to think on.” Eddie grabbed his work bag and started walking inside. “I’m going to get ready, see you guys in a bit.” Eddie disappeared and Buck just stared at the cat tower. Hen gave him a one-armed hug.

“Sorry, Buckaroo, looks like you might be getting a new pet soon.”

“Nope. If Eddie brings it home, I’m withholding sex. And Christopher can play whatever annoying Disney soundtrack he wants on full blast.” Chimney whistled as Bobby shook his head.

The cat did not end up going home with them, thankfully. Smokey, the name finally catching on, enjoyed its tower. Smokey could often be found relaxing on the top tier, where the sun hit best, and sleeping on the bottle circle, tail peeking out. Eddie still remained Smokey’s favorite and the others noticed that the number of incidents dwindled. Now, Smokey was more likely to glare or hiss from its spot on the cat tower, rather than give chase. Which no one was complaining about; Buck had lost too many travel mugs of coffee, Chimney’s shoes had gotten torn, and Hen dropped her wallet into a puddle during past chases.

“Buck, he’s purring, listen!” Eddie was holding Smokey in his arms again, cradled almost like a baby, and the cat was clearly enjoying it. If cats could talk, Buck would bet that this one would be saying, “Look what I have that you don’t.” This cat was a jerk and it knew it.

“That’s great, Eds.” Buck said. His boyfriend grinned as Smokey nuzzled into his chest. “You wanna head home anytime soon?”

“In a bit, let me put him back on the tower, give me a second.” Buck watched as Eddie gently put Smokey down, who curled up and seemed to go to sleep. Buck was not jealous of a cat, no way, but he did make Eddie change his shirt before he allowed his boyfriend to cuddle with him later that night. Smokey had clearly been keeping track of them, not chasing them anymore which was greatly appreciated, before greeting them all one morning.

He rubbed against Chimney and Hen’s ankles, flicked his tail against Bobby's leg, which was bizarre, before coming to stop in front of Buck. Then he let out the loudest meow before headbutting his head into Buck’s shin. Slowly, Buck brought his hand down to pet Smokey, Bobby, Hen and Chimney watching with an air of caution, while Eddie was beaming. It would have been a sweet moment if Smokey didn't pick that moment to vault up and over Buck’s shoulder, knocking his coffee mug out of his hand, before bolting into the bushes.

“I give up!” Buck cried, mourning his coffee that was now spilling onto the pavement. “Smokey is your cat, I’m fine with that, but I am not losing anymore mugs!”

Eddie insisted that he wasn’t laughing at him for the rest of the shift. Four pairs of eyes glared at him and called him a liar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 34 of quarantine; anyone discover any new activities or hobbies to keep themselves entertained? Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe!
> 
> Also, since everyone has been asking for a part 2 to the blood thinners chapter...I'm gonna do it and wrap that into another request I got during the previous story set (sorry, Buck, I'm gonna need your leg...) Leave a comment if you want, I love hearing from you guys!


	7. Chapter 7

**67\. Assume**

Shifting from foot to foot, Eddie waited anxiously in front of the door. He had texted Maddie last night, asking if he could come over in the morning, that there was something he wanted to talk to her about. Eddie felt a little bad, lying to Buck about where he was going, but if he told his boyfriend, then the jig would be up. Christopher was adamant that it remain a secret, at least until all the important parties had been informed, and Eddie could agree to a point.

He was fairly certain that Bobby knew something was up, and Abuela certainly did, if her increasing number of goodies being sent home was any indication; it didn’t escape his notice that most of them were favorites Buck enjoyed.

“Good morning!” Maddie chirped as she opened the door.

“Morning.” Eddie stepped through, taking his shoes and jacket off, before following Maddie into the kitchen. “Thanks for meeting with me.”

“You make this sound like some sort of business meeting, Eddie.” Maddie filled the Keurig and popped in a K-cup. “I didn’t tell Buck you were coming over, figured you wanted to keep it secret.”

“Something like that, yes.” Eddie didn’t know why he was so nervous. He had hung around Maddie before, felt comfortable with her, but this wasn’t a normal social call. This was Eddie coming over, as Buck’s boyfriend, to talk to Maddie, Buck’s older sister.

“And, if I’m guessing right, this isn’t about some simple thing, is it?” Maddie asked. Eddie smiled, feeling the beginnings of a blush growing, and Maddie smirked. “Knew I was right.”

“Is Chimney here?” With no sign of him in the main areas, Eddie still felt safer asking; Chimney was horrible at keeping secrets, and if he found out, that was it. The poor man had a worse poker face that Buck.

“No, he went out to a movie with Hen, he’ll be home later. So, I figure we have about a good three hours before my darling husband comes back.” Maddie didn’t point out how Eddie perked up at the sound of the word, husband, nor how he seemed to deflate in relief when it was confirmed that they were alone. Eddie tapped his fingers on the countertop, nerves making his stomach jump, and he tried to keep calm as Maddie set a cup of coffee in front of him as she sat down across from him.

“Everything alright in there? You’re frowning a lot over there, Eddie.” Maddie asked, smiling, as she raised her mug. Eddie took a deep breath. This was important, he wanted to do this right, and while he knew that he could still go forward if Maddie didn’t agree, it would mean a lot to him, and Buck, that she said yes.

“I wanted to ask you something.” Eddie started. “I’m going to get all of this out and then you can talk, since I think I only have one shot at this.” Maddie nodded, expression kind, and Eddie took a deep breath. “First, I want you to know that you are the second person I’m telling about this. Christopher was the first, obviously, but you are one of the most important persons in Buck’s life, and my family has always been traditional about these kinds of things.” Eddie pushed his mug away and lifted his eyes away from his lap.

“I can’t picture my life without Buck in it. I didn’t think I’d get to keep him as friend, or even as a boyfriend, and then when it hit me, I wanted it to last. I wanted him for the long haul.” Eddie shifted and pulled a box out from his pocket. He had kept it on him for the past week, worried that Buck might accidently find it before Eddie had a chance to put a plan into action, so he took it everywhere he went. Now, he was glad he had done so. Rubbing his thumb across the top of the velvet, Eddie smiled, and pushed it towards Maddie. “Whenever Buck talks about his childhood, you’re always there. As his sister, you have a piece of his heart, and I want to tell you that I want you to continue being a part of his life with us. I want to protect that.”

The box was now resting between Maddie’s hands and her eyes were suspiciously wet.

“I love your brother, Maddie, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I’m asking you for your blessing and giving you my word that I will always be there for him. To make him smile, laugh, and to bring him home after each daredevil stunt.” Eddie swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure as Maddie quickly wiped at her eyes. “I want to ask Buck to marry me, Maddie, and it feels wrong to not ask you before I do it.”

“I’m not his parent, Eddie.” Maddie sniffled.

“No, you aren’t, but you did play a part in raising him. Any stories he tells me include you. You’re his big sister, Maddie. I’m the baby of the family, so I’ve never had to watch out for a younger sibling, but I had older sisters. I saw how fierce they were when it came to keeping me safe.” Eddie knocked his foot against Maddie’s under the table. “You care about Buck with every fiber of your being, Maddie, I couldn’t take this step with Buck without promising you that I will do the same for the rest of my life.”

“Can I look?” Maddie gestured to the box. Eddie nodded, tense with anticipation, and he glowed when Maddie let a tiny gasp out as the lid flipped up.

“Chris helped with the design. I might have measured his finger when he was asleep to get a measurement.” That ended up being the hardest task he had done this year; Buck was a light sleeper, so Eddie had to plan for a night when Buck was absolutely drained, which normally happened after 24-hour shifts. “Do you think he’ll like it?”

“I think Evan will love this.” Maddie finally looked up and Eddie could see that she was trying to hold back tears. “I know you’ll take care of my brother, Eddie, I never doubted that.”

“Never hurts to double check.” Eddie took a sip of his coffee, now lukewarm, and waited for Maddie to continue.

“Do you know how I knew you and he would work out?” Maddie began. “He always came back to you. Everything action he did, big or little, it revolved around you and Chris. I never saw my brother like that, not even with Abby, and half of us were convinced that he loved her.”

“Parts of him did.”

“Maybe, but want to know a big difference between the two of you?” Maddie grabbed his hand. “You stayed Eddie, not for any other reason other than for Evan. Both of you always fought to get back to one another.”

“I’ll fight to come back to him, to him and Chris.”

“Is Christopher excited?”

“He wanted to have me ask right after I told him.” The memory of Christopher jumping in elation, urging Eddie to go and ask Buck that moment, had him grinning from ear to ear. “I told him I still needed to get a ring and ask a few people.”

“I’m honored that you came to talk to me.” Maddie reached down for the ring box again. “It’s pretty much implied at this point, but for the sake of being sure we’re on the same page, you have my blessing to marry Evan.”

At once, Eddie felt like he was on the moon. If Buck was right in front of him at that moment, he would have done it then and there. Sadly, he wasn’t; Christopher and he were at the local park, plans already in place to meet-up for lunch that afternoon, and Eddie longed to go see them.

“Thank you.” Eddie did a terrible job of trying not to let it show how much his voice wavered. “I’m going to ask Buck to marry me.”

“You know that this will make us sibling in-laws?” Maddie teased. “Fair warning, us Buckley’s can get pretty crazy when we like.”

“Trust me, I know, I happen to be dating a man that seems to have a sixth sense for finding trouble.” They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, both looking down at the ring sitting between them, content to bask in the soft mood in the kitchen.

“Who else are you going to ask?” Maddie finally asked as she got up to remake her now cold coffee; Eddie leaned back in his chair.

“Bobby. Doesn’t seem right if I didn’t ask him.” Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “You, Bobby, and Chris were the main people I wanted to know first.”

“Now it makes sense why you were asking if Howie was going to be around last night.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Maddie, but Chimney can’t keep a secret to save his life.” The two of them laughed, knowing how true it was, before they both resumed their watch over the ring. In the light of the kitchen, it seemed to almost glow; Eddie couldn’t wait to see what it looked like on Buck’s hand. In a few days, he might get to finally see it, and that thought sent all sorts of shivers down his spine.

“He’s going to be so happy with you, Eddie. I know it.” Maddie got up suddenly and rounded the island, coming to stop beside him. She threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. “Thank you for loving my brother.”

Eddie knew he wasn’t an emotional man, he didn’t cry often, but in this case, he didn’t bother trying to stop the tears. Judging from the sound of Maddie sniffling, she was crying again, too. Eddie was going to marry Buck and Maddie was in full agreement. Eddie could cry all he wanted because he was going to ask his best friend to spend the rest of his life with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 35, give it up for day 35, even my dog is getting sick of seeing all our faces. 
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Also, finally saw this week's episode...my heart hurts. Leave a comment if you wish :)


	8. Chapter 8

**53\. Pipe**

Since moving to LA, Eddie was glad that he was closer to his Abuela and Tia. While both of the women were still healthy as horses, and still had the same quick wit that was associated with Diaz genes, Eddie couldn’t help but feel relieved he was just a phone call away when things happened. Having his Abuela fall and hurt her hip had shaved a few years off his life, and the added stress of wondering what to do with Christopher hadn’t helped, so whenever Eddie was asked to come over and do a home job, he jumped on it.

Over the years, Eddie had fixed the loose step on the back porch, changed lightbulbs that were too far up, and moved furniture. He acted as chauffer on numerous occasions, driving to and from doctors’ appointments, picking up groceries, or even just coming over to take his Abuela out of the house for a little bit. Christopher loved going over to see his grandmother, was familiar with the layout, and often many of the household modifications that he made clearly had Chris in mind. Abuela usually sent them home with leftovers or easy to heat up dishes, that were already made, which left Eddie with the simple job of throwing it in the oven.

Tia Peppa was often around, popping in and out as her schedule allowed, as the woman was still working a full-time job, plus volunteering, and showed no signs of stopping. As Eddie became more of a permanent fixture at the 118, and his friendship with Buck grew stronger, it was inevitable that two of the most important women in his life would meet his best friend. Abuela loved him, quickly charmed by Buck’s personality, and when she discovered that Buck wasn’t as hopeless as a cook as her grandson, that sealed the deal.

Soon, Eddie and Buck were trading off driving duties; when necessary, Buck would drop off or pick up Chris from Abuela’s, or assist with any errands that his grandmother needed. Eddie should have felt jealous, or even angry that his family loved Buck so much, but he mostly felt relieved. Having an extra set of eyes and hands around to help his family, to ensure that someone was pulling the slack that Eddie would eventually miss, was the best that Eddie could ask for. Buck, who seemed to never run out of endless patience and concern for others, never told Eddie off for asking for help.

Privately, Eddie wondered if it was because of Buck’s own family issues, or lack of obvious connections to such a birth family, that made Buck eager to jump in and offer an extra hand. The call came in just as Eddie was jumping out of the shower following a shift. Nothing too crazy, thankfully, and Eddie was looking forward to relaxing for the next two days. Christopher was currently set-up in the living room, immersed in his latest obsession, which happened to be all of R. L. Stines works, Goosebumps. Eddie had bought some for his son at the last school book fair; when he realized how much Chris loved them, he mentioned it to Buck, who went out the next free chance he got and purchased a dozen more.

“Hola, Abuela.” Eddie greeted into the phone as he pulled his socks on one handed.

“Hola, nino. Are you busy?” Abuela’s voice was smooth over the phone, which made Eddie think that nothing serious had happened, and Eddie switched legs so he could finish getting dressed.

“No, just got done with a shift. Do you need me to come over?”

“If it isn’t any trouble. One of the overhead lights went out and the downstairs sink is leaking again.” The toolbox was still in the back of his truck, which would save some time of trying to hunt it down, and Chris had already completed his homework for the day.

“I’ll grab Chris and head over. Do you need me to pick anything up before we come over?”

“Call Buck, mijo, lord knows you’ll be texting him anyway if you come over without him.” Abuela teased. “Drive safe, si?”

“Always, Abuela, I’ll be there soon.” Eddie laughed. He didn’t bother trying to argue with his grandmother, knowing it was futile, and hung up. As he called out to Chris to pack a bag since they were popping over the Abuela’s, Eddie tapped on Buck’s call icon and held it up to his ear.

“Miss me already, Diaz?” Buck said after the call connected. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“You wish. Abuela just called, she’s got some household stuff that needs to get taken care of, and I’ve been instructed to collect you and bring you over.”

“Well, I’m not about to argue with your Abuela. I’ll start heading over and meet you there? Does she need anything from the store?” Buck asked, Eddie hearing the sound of Buck moving around, likely getting his shoes and keys.

“Nah, she didn’t mention anything. We’ll see you soon, Buck.” Exiting the kitchen and heading down to Chris’s bedroom, Eddie watched as Chris stuffed the last of his toys, which happened to be a coloring book on exotic birds. Chris perked up when he noticed his father, and Eddie couldn’t help but smile as he swung his kid up onto his hip.

“All set?”

“R-ready!” Chris cheered.

“Good, because Abuela called in someone to keep you company while she bosses me around.” Eddie informed him, already beaming as Chris began to cheer in excitement.

“Is Bucky coming?” At Eddie’s nod, Christopher pumped his fists, and insisted that Eddie was walking too slow.

The drive over to his Abuela’s was simple, hardly any traffic, and Buck’s jeep was already parked on the side of the road. Christopher took off once his feet hit the grass, knocking once before calling out as he entered the house, and Eddie followed behind him and locked the door. He listened in, letting the sounds of three voices guide him into the kitchen, where Christopher was hugging his Abuela. Buck was moving around Abuela, clearly she had been in the middle of cooking something, listening to her instructions as the pair interacted with Christopher. Eddie came in, pressing a kiss to Abuela’s cheek, and clasping Buck’s shoulder.

“Such as good grandson, Edmundo.” Abuela commented, patting his cheek, before pointing at Buck. “Keep stirring the rice, don’t let the bottom of the pan start to burn, I’ll be back in a moment.”

With that, Abuela took Eddie by the arm and began to point out what needed to be taken care of. The light at the end of the kitchen was out, which was a simple fix; the leaking sink wouldn’t be, as evidence by the puddle on the floor. Eddie assured his grandmother that he had it covered, running out to grab his toolbox, and then the mini ladder from the back shed. He took care of the light first, smiling as three of the most important people in his life talk with one another. Eddie stole a bit of the rice, which was savory and spicy, before getting kicked out of the kitchen with a light whack to the back of his hand. Buck was laughing at him, as was Chris, as Abuela scolded him with a smirk.

He took off his Henley, leaving him in just an undershirt, and placed his phone and wallet out of the way. The sink, thankfully, wasn’t too bad. The bottom pipe just needed to be tightened. Familiar with this particular chore, as the upstairs sink tended to do this in the colder months, Eddie drug around for his wrench and went to work. After that was taken care of, he checked on the rest of the plumbing, just to rule out any other possible leaking parts. Eddie peeked his head out when there was a knock on the doorframe. Buck was there, eyes fond, and Eddie didn’t even mind that both of them were staring openly at one another.

“Abuela finished up with her cooking, so she told me to tell you that we are eating soon and you better be washed up.”

“Is that all?” Eddie joked and began the process of getting sitting upright and putting away his tools. Buck tossed his shirt to him, Eddie possibly dragging it out as much as he could, and it definitely didn’t send a thrill through his body when he noticed a light blush on Buck’s face. “Thanks, you know, for coming over with us.”

“No problem. Abuela is great, I didn’t even get a chance to knock on the door before she was pulling me inside.”

“You’ve got a place here, Buck, and Abuela loves having visitors. She doesn’t like it when the place is quiet.”

“Mijos! Did you get lost on your way back?” Abuela called out.

“Dad, Buck, let’s go!” Christopher piled on. Shaking his head, Eddie placed the toolbox out of the way, making a note to come back for it later. He bumped shoulders with Buck as they walked down the hallway back to the kitchen.

“We didn’t get lost, Superman, your old man just needed an extra hand off the floor.”

“Good thing you’re a firefighter.” Christopher grinned. Eddie ruffled his hair.

“You wound me, Chris, my own son.” Eddie placed a hand over his chest, above his heart, and threw his head back in mock agony. Abuela tapped the back of his head.

“Sit, before your food gets cold.” Abuela ordered. Buck was silently laughed, shoulders shaking as he struggled to hold back his enjoyment of the situation, and Eddie couldn’t help but feel fond. “Now, Christopher tells me that the three of you are going to the aquarium soon.”

As Christopher went off, telling Abuela all about which one they were going to, which fish they might see, and the exhibits he was most excited about, Eddie couldn’t keep a soft smile off his face. Knocking his knee against Buck’s under the table, Eddie looked over, and almost melted as he saw a similar expression on his best friend’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 36 in quarantine, how's everyone doing? If you have pets, are they sick of you? My dog literally tried to hide behind a curtain to get some space from the rest of us. Stay safe and healthy peeps!


	9. Chapter 9

**74\. Profit**

It was a gift from a grateful family member. The station was no stranger to heated blankets, they mainly used shock blankets in a pinch, but when they were feeling a tiny bit extra, they used the dryer and warmed the blankets before catching a quick nap. Bobby had no clue that the appearance of a heated blanket, a soft fleece in a pale grey color, would be such a big hit among his firefighters. Ironically, the first day following the introduction of the blanket, it was a cold, wet, and miserable shift.

LA didn’t normally get rain this heavy, which caused more car accidents then they expected, and everyone was soaking wet and more than ready to go get warmed up. After disembarking off the truck, the crew shuffled over to the locker rooms, everyone shivering and sniffling. Hen’s glasses were foggy, and Eddie and Buck looked like a pair of drowned rats with their hair sticking to their foreheads. Bobby winced as he stepped and felt the residual water squish around in his shoe.

“Everyone get changed and shower.” Bobby ordered. “When you’re done, head up to the loft. Any requests?”

“As long as it’s warm, I don’t think it matters.” Chimney answered, peeling his turnout jacket off, and it hit the floor with a plop. Bobby sighed as he began to notice the puddles forming on the floor, and grabbed the water caution sign, not wanting anyone to slip. Eventually, they were all relatively clean and dry, warmed up from the hot showers, and Bobby watched as the group filed into the kitchen.

It seemed that no one wanted to do anything other than stuff food into their mouths, so Bobby decided that pasta would be the best bet; it was quick and easy, would fill everyone’s stomachs, and would keep if they got called out again. Bobby knew it would happen, as the alarm had gone off nine times already during their shift, and the captain was beginning to feel the first wave of fatigue set in.

“I’m not sharing.” Hen snipped, causing Bobby to peer over to the couches, where Hen and Chimney were in a staring contest. “This is made for one person, not my fault that you were too slow.”

“Okay, first off, it isn’t my fault I got stuck behind Eddie. Second, that’s a large sized blanket, it can fit us both, now scoot over.” Chimney argued. Hen shook her head, snuggling further underneath the heated blanket, and laughed at the affronted look Chimney threw at her.

“Cap! Hen isn’t sharing!” Bobby chuckled, moving the pot over to the sink to dump the water, and called out for Buck and Eddie on the ground floor.

“She called dibs on it first, Chim, I’m sure you’ll get a turn soon.” Their meal was good, if not a bit rushed, as the alarm went off halfway through the meal. Sprinting down the stairs, listening to Eddie and Chimney complain about how they never got a chance to finish an entire meal without interruption, Bobby pulled himself into the truck.

“I’m getting really sick of water.” Buck complained as they made their way down to yet another car accident. “Isn’t LA supposed to not get rain?”

“You were the whole lecturing us all about how the weather patterns are messed up due to global warming.” Eddie said. “At least there’s no thunder like last call.” At that exact moment, the sky echoed with a sound of thunder, loud enough that the pair jumped at the noise.

“Nice, just jinx us, Eddie.” Buck narrowed his eyes at his friend. “If I have to pour water out of my shoe again, I’m dumping it on your head.”

“Well, seeing as how my head is already soaked, it doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

The call went off without an issue, and soon the team was back at the station. Where there was round two over who got to use the blanket. Hen wasn’t quick this time, hanging back with Bobby and Buck, as Chimney and Eddie sprinted for it. The duo was trying to play dirty, with Chimney attempting to trip Eddie up once they hit the rugged area of the loft, and Eddie trying to act casual while using his elbows to keep Chim back. It didn’t work, as Chimney dodged his attack, succeeding in causing Eddie to stumble, and claimed the couch and blanket as his own.

“Oh, this is so nice.” Chimney bragged. Eddie, still pouting from his spot on one of the chairs, glared at him. “Eddie, you should try this out, it’s great.”

“I hate you.” Eddie huffed, walking over to the others that were watching from the table, and wrapped himself around Buck. “Your brother-in-law is being a jerk.”

“I promised Maddie I wouldn’t kill him during work hours.” Buck reiterated. “Later, Eds, we can kill him together.”

“Good.”

“No blood on the blanket.” Hen warned. Eddie nodded sagely as Buck and Bobby shared a sigh.

The battles over the heated blanket continued for weeks; it was a hit with everyone, which made for some interesting entertainment between calls. Chimney and Eddie were the most entertaining by far, often using stupid competitions to see who would get the blanket, only to find out that Hen had stolen it out from them. Once, Buck had done it, quickly moving to the bunk room, extremely happy with his stunt. It got interesting once they discovered that, yes, the blanket could comfortably fit two people. Many would think that it would have been the only dating pair in the station, Buck and Eddie, that figured this out.

They would be wrong.

Bobby rounded the corner coming up the stairs and stared at who was on the couch. The heated blanket was plugged in and Chimney and Eddie were seated next to one another. Eddie had his nose buried in a book while Chimney was doing something on his phone. Eventually, the two noticed that he was looking at them, and Chimney lifted his shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

“Everything we did came to tie, so we just figured that we would try to share it.” Chimney said. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“The arm wrestling wasn’t a tie, Chim, and you know it.”

“I kicked your ass, Diaz, don’t lie.” Chimney turned back to Bobby. “Anyways, turns out you can fit two grown adults under here, it’s pretty nice.” Bobby held his hands up, wished them the best with their afternoon, and walked over to the other end of the loft. When Hen and Buck finally came up, after completing inventory of the ambulance, Bobby smirked as the other firefighters zeroed in on Chimney and Eddie.

“Cheating on me with my sister’s husband, low blow, Eds.” Buck teased as Eddie tipped his head back to accept a light kiss on the forehead.

“I’m only using him for the blanket, Buck, I’ll send out the divorce papers by the end of the shift.”

“Ouch, and here I thought we had something special, Eddie.” Chimney cried. “Hen, wanna be my new blanket spouse? Eddie here clearly doesn’t know how good he has it.”

“I don’t know, I’ve had to bunk with you before, and no offense, Chim, but you are a blanket hog and you kicked in your sleep.” Hen said, crossing her legs as she shifted on the end of the couch.

“I don’t kick!”

“You do, Chimney, I think all of us have gotten kicked at some point.”

“Prove it.”

“You kicked me out of the bunk when we were waiting for new ones.” Hen reminded him. “I hit the floor, Chimney.”

“During movie night, you kicked me off the couch and took my blanket.” Buck said. “Maddie couldn’t stop laughing for hours.”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you slowly tucking the blanket under you as we’ve been sitting here, either.” Eddie mentioned casually, flipping a page in his book, before using one hand to give a hard tug. A quarter of the blanket appeared and Chimney looked away, whistling, in a weak attempt to look innocent.

“You know what, since these two seem to be all set here, I’m taking Buck.” Hen got up, latched a hand on Buck’s arm, and pulled him away. “If you idiots used your eyes every once in a while, you might have noticed that there was another heated blanket in the back.” Chimney and Eddie paused, looking at the other two, and Buck smiled. Bobby leaned forward in his seat, enjoying the shenanigans more than he probably should, not that he would put a stop to it just yet. It had been a long time since his team had gotten to kick back.

“Hen’s a good cuddlier, Eddie, and since you and Chim shacked up, we’re going to go enjoy our own heated blanket.” Buck said. They made their way back down the stairs, heading towards the bunk room, and Bobby could see the cogs moving in Eddie’s head.

“I’ll send Hen up.” He blurted out, throwing back the blanket, and quickly hurrying down the stairs.

Bobby smiled, internally laughing at the obvious sign of clinginess, while Chimney quickly readjusted the blanket for himself. Whatever happened in the bunk room must have been successful, as Hen returned, and curled up next to Chimney. She picked up Eddie’s discarded book, starting at the beginning, as Bobby got up and headed up to his office to get some work done. He figured that the rest of his team could keep themselves amused in the meantime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 37! I finally got some good news yesterday; my orientation date for my new job was set for next week. Hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!


	10. Chapter 10

**59\. Investment**

Chimney would deny it until he was blue in the face, even then he would still find a way to protest, and wouldn’t admit that he got the idea from a research article. He had been unable to sleep, Maddie softly snoring beside him in bed, and had somehow stumbled upon the humane society page. He and Maddie never talked about getting a pet, their hours never seemed to allow enough time for an animal, not to mention that their apartment didn’t encourage pets, unless it was a service or emotional support animal.

What he did take notice of was that they all had a friend that could probably use some company, especially the kind that was furry, soft, and generally wanted to bring people happiness. Chimney scrolled through the pictures, marking off cats and dogs that he thought would be a good match, and tried to recall if Buck had ever mentioned wanting a particular breed. It was late when he finished, saving both the research file that cited having a four-legged companion decreased anxiety and depression while promoting all things good, and the photos of all available dogs and cats.

He didn’t say a word to Maddie; Chimney felt bad, keeping this from her, but he also knew that Buck hadn’t been the most forthcoming with his sister as of late. Chim also was aware of the fact that the pair was slowly repairing their relationship and that the bombing had put another barrier in between the siblings. So, Chimney pressed a kiss to his girlfriend’s lips, grabbed his bag, and headed to work. The station seemed off, quieter, and their little crew among the 118 felt off kilter. Even weeks after Buck's accident, none of them had gotten used to the unnatural silence in the truck or the obvious missing presence of their fifth team member.

He spotted Eddie first and without so much as a greeting, opened his phone, and slid it over to him.

“Is this your way of telling me that I need a pet?” Eddie asked, picking up the phone, and scrolling through the saved photos of the dogs. Chimney noted that he lingerd over the black lab and the golden retriever before giving it back to the other man.

“No. This is me telling you that I need your help to get a good list of possible options for Buck.” Chimney could feel in his gut that this was the right choice. Buck loved animals, and while he would deny wanting a pet right now, Chimney knew that he had always wanted one. Maddie had said as such when he asked in the past, how Buck would sometimes sneak out to pet the strays back in Pennsylvania, or insist that he walk the neighborhood dogs.

“You want to get a dog for Buck?” Eddie frowned. “I don’t think this is the right time for a dog, Chim, the guy is getting off his crutches soon.” According to Bobby, the progress was slow going, and for Buck who was used to doing everything at warp speed, it had to be hard. However, the four of them had seen firsthand the damage done to their youngest firefighter, and couldn’t help but be impressed at his current state.

“I don’t think there is ever going to be a right time, Eddie. Look, I really think this is a good idea.”

Chimney shows him the article, feeling pleased with himself, and he manages to convince Eddie that they should at least call up the rescue agency first before talking to Buck. They have a few calls, which don’t take long, and soon he’s off to talk to Bobby and Hen. Hen approaches it with the same amount of trepidation as Eddie, hesitant to throw anything else at Buck when he was already dealing with a full plate; the cast was coming off soon, which meant physical therapy would be starting, and then they all got to hold their breath for the next few weeks until it was determined if Buck would ever be back with them in the field.

“Figures you would pick the golden retriever for him.” Hen tapped on the picture of the black lab. “Go for a dog, Buck isn’t a big cat person, and it’ll give him an excuse to get out of the house.” The description didn’t give them a lot to go off of, and it was comical to witness four people cramming together to look over one phone, reading off the age, general temperament, and some activities the dog enjoyed.

Bobby, being the voice of reason, insisted that they talk to Buck sooner rather than later; they’d been making house calls as often as they could, and it wasn't hard to see that Buck was slowly retreating into himself. Coming over, unannounced and with a dog, might not be the best idea and could push him over the edge. Chimney wouldn’t forgive himself if that happened and they were the cause. The following day, Chimney called the number on the home page of the adoption agency, and explained the situation. The woman was helpful and understanding, informing him of the process and paperwork, even telling him that Chimney and his friends could come down and see some of the dogs to help with their decision making. Eagerly, Chimney texted everyone, and they agreed to go that weekend.

They met a lot of different dogs, from tiny Dash hounds, to Rottweilers, talking amongst each other. The four of them came to a consensus that the small dogs won’t work out, but Chimney privately thought it because all of them wanted Buck to find someone that was large and good with cuddling. He eventually found the black lab that everyone seemed to keep coming back to, and took her out into the yard. Chimney knew by the end of the afternoon that this dog was the one. They talked with the worker there, who told them that she can’t put a hold on the dog, but did make a note that there was interest in adoption. Chimney jumped on the phone with Maddie, telling her everything, and after a few moments of shocked silence, she was on board. Now, Chimney knew, came the hard part: convincing Buck.

They’re all torn on how to best approach it; do they storm the apartment and drag Buck down or give him all the information and let him do what he wants with it? Buck had been sporadic on answering his phone these days, and while he seemed to enjoy having visitors over, Chimney can tell that Buck’s exhausted afterwards.

“I’m going to go over after work tomorrow.” Chimney’s thought it over all throughout his shift. He doesn’t have the fatherly touch like Bobby, or the strong will like Eddie, and isn’t as soft as Hen, but he can make Buck laugh most times he goes over. Can bring that flicker of sass back for a moment or two. “Tell him what we know and go from there.”

Eddie looks doubtful that Buck will agree to this, but Hen and Bobby give him their blessing. Buck answers the door when he knocks, and appears to be in a good mood, which Chimney is grateful for. Lately, Buck’s mood has pinged between sullen and quiet to overly frustrated and angry at the world. It doesn’t get easier to see someone you care about rage at their situation and know you can’t do much to fix it.

“So, I think that following your appointment on Thursday,” Chimney begins, knowing that the cast comes off that day, and Buck grins widely as he says it. “I’ve got a place that I know you’ll enjoy.”

“I’m not really up for anything high energy, Chim.” Buck shrugs off. Chimney isn’t discouraged, well aware at this point that Buck won’t willingly reach out, and decides to be upfront with him while still trying to keep an air of surprise.

“Actually, I’m fairly certain you’ll love it. All you need to do is show up. Everything else has already been handled.”

Chimney made an appointment for Buck that Thursday afternoon with the black lab. If Chimney whispered to the dog as they left to bring out all her trick and cuteness, then no one needed to know. Buck was clearly suspicious. He tried to get more information out of Chimney, not that the other man let him, and finally said yes to going. That night, Chimney made sure to hug Maddie a little tighter and told her that Buck had agreed to go following his appointment.

The team waited with bated breath when Thursday rolled around. Even Bobby, how normally kept his phone in his pocket for the majority of his shifts, kept taking it out to check. They weren’t sure if Buck would tell them anything, Chimney was banking on Eddie being the one who was informed if anything did come of it, and thankfully he didn’t bet Hen any money because he would have lost. Chimney placed his weights back down on the rack, trying hard not to feel jealous at the fact that Eddie had beaten his time on the treadmill, when his phone pinged. Quickly, Chimney checked and his face cracked into a huge smile. Eddie, noticing a lack of chatter from the other side of the gym, paused his workout.

“Did he go?” Eddie asked, hopping off the machine, coming to stand next to Chimney with a hopeful look on his face.

Buck >>> Went to the shelter, not sure how you found the place.

Eddie ran off to flag down Hen and Bobby while Chimney fired off a response.

<<< It came recommended by a friend of a friend. See anyone you might like?

There wasn’t any harm in a tiny white lie; Buck would find out, probably, in the future and Chimney would deal with it then. Hen zoomed into the gym, taking his phone, and scanning the message like it was a novel instead of a short text blurb.

Buck >>> Maybe. I’m going back next week.

“Yes!” Chimney pumped his fists in the air. “I told you it would work! How much do you want to bet that he’s adopting the lab?”

Money was exchanged, and they all had trouble managing their excitement, which carried on throughout the remainder of the shift. Chimney instructed the others, mainly Eddie, to keep cool about it and not bring too much attention to what they had done. The following week, on a Thursday again no less, they were all in the truck heading back to the station. Chimney’s phone went off again. Another message from Buck with a picture attached. It must have been a group message, as everyone pulled their cell phones out.

Buck >>> Say hello to my new co-pilot.

In Buck’s front seat, happy as could be, was the female black lab. Hen wrapped one arm around Chimney’s shoulders, nearly knocking his phone to the ground in her excitement, as Bobby and Eddie fired off their replies. Chimney was thrilled. He knew it had been a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's everyone holding up? Doing alright? Leave a comment if you wish :)


	11. Chapter 11

**27\. Employ**

Like many conversations that the team has, it occurs during a lull in the shift, which happens to be a 24-hour one. The five of them are spread out in the bunk room, in various states of wakefulness, while the other crew in the 118 answers a call. It has been a hectic shift, one filled with bizarre medical situations, and more than once they had each muttered under their breath a soft spoken, “what the fuck?” as they did their job.

“Okay, real question, if we weren’t firefighters, what would we be doing?” Chimney blurted out. The guy was sprawled out on his cot, his leg hanging down from the top bed, and Eddie groaned from his place next to Buck.

“This again, really?” Eddie turned his head, trying to hide it in Buck’s shoulder, and Buck let him. “Chim, we are not going to have a heart to heart conversation right now.”

“Why not? It isn't like we’re doing anything else right now.” Chimney pointed out. Bobby cracked an eye open.

“If that alarm goes off, Chimney, I will personally set the hose on you.”

“I second that.” Buck muttered. “I can’t feel my toes from the last call, Chim, just let us sleep.”

“Ignore him, Buck, it normally works.” Hen pulled the blanket over her head. Chimney tapped his foot against the metal bar, which connected to Hen’s bed, in retaliation. “Chimney, I will climb up there and kick your ass, don’t think I won’t.”

“I’m surrounded by children.” Eddie whined. “Buck, let’s go sleep on the couch.”

“I am not getting off this cot, Eddie.” It was quiet for a little while, enough that most of them had started to drift off, until Chimney decided to speak up again.

“Well, I wanted to be a train conductor.” Chimney said into the silence of the bunk room. “It was either that or being a pop star.”

“Are we really doing this?” Hen grumbled. “Fine, I’ll play along. Why a train conductor?”

“Trains are neat. Not to mention you get to travel.” Chimney chirped. “Your turn, Hen. Past dream jobs, go!”

“I don’t know, maybe an astronaut, I liked space as a kid.” Hen went through a bit of a space phase during the fourth grade, getting dozens of books on the subject, and begging her parents at every chance to take her to the museum so she could look at the crafted planets and imported pictures taken from outer space. “Why does this matter, Chim?”

“It’s fun to talk about. Now pick someone.” Hen scanned the room, catching Bobby’s eye, and jerked her head over to him. “You’re up, Bobby, tell us your secrets.”

“Figure skater. At one point, I thought my partner and I could go to the Olympics.” Bobby admitted. “It was fun while it lasted, but I’m happy here now.”

“So sentimental.” Hen cooed. “Pick one of the boys over there and then maybe we can get Chimney to go to sleep.”

“I feel attacked here and all I’m trying to do is bond with all of you.”

“Can’t you bond with us when we aren’t sleep deprived?” Eddie moaned. One of Buck’s hands weakly patted Eddie’s hair.

“Nope! I want to know all about our childhood wishes and dreams.” Chimney was far too cheerful for someone halfway into a full day shift and surrounded by others that wanted to sleep at two am in the morning.

“Adult me wants you to shut up and let me sleep.” Buck muttered. “Chim, come on, man, can we do this later?”

“Three of us have spilled our guts out, the two of you have to do the same.” Chimney pressed.

“Maybe if we ignore him, he’ll go away.” Eddie said, turning over more to block Buck in against the wall, and placing his back towards the others. “Does he do this intentionally during 24-hour shifts?”

“Probably. Maddie says that he gets hyper when he’s tired.” Buck confessed.

“Hey! I told her that in confidence!” Chimney whined.

“Maddie and I tell each other everything, Chim, rookie mistake.”

There was a pause in the conversation, allowing Bobby and Hen to settle in more against their company issued cots, and everyone thought that was the end of that. Until Chimney’s phone pinged.

“So, a little birdie told me that our Buckaroo wanted to be a school art teacher.” Chimney swung himself up, so he was sitting upright, and Hen groaned as his movement shook the entire bed frame. “Do tell me more.”

“I’m disowning Maddie.” Buck said.

“What was that you just told me? Rookie mistake?” Chimney teased.

“Fine, if this will get you to shup up and let me sleep, then fine.” Buck sighed as he pushed himself up enough to peer over Eddie’s shoulder. “I liked art class as kid. I thought I wanted to go into teaching.” Chimney took it, knowing full well why Buck didn’t go down that route, and it made him angry. Maddie talked more about the Buckley parents than her brother, revealing that their father wasn’t very interested in the arts, and wanted his children to “not waste their time with useless knowledge.”

“I think you would have made a good art teacher.” Chimney offered. Buck gave him a half smile, clearly seeing through it, and collapsed back into his pillow. “Alright, Eddie, you are the last man standing.”

“Eddie isn’t here right now, leave a message.”

“You jerk, clearly you can hear me.” Eddie let out an exaggerated snore and Hen couldn’t bite back a snicker. Bobby huffed, opened his eyes and stared at the clock, offering up a silent prayer for just one hour of peace and quiet.

“Eddie.”

“No.”

“Eddie, do not make me come over there.”

“I will lick you if you do.” Chimney paused.

“First off, ew. Second, I’m not sure Buck would like that and I kind of fear him more than you.”

“I scare you?” Buck asked. Chimney shot him a reassuring smile.

“You scare me because you can have Maddie do your bidding.” Buck nodded sagely.

“Fair point.” Buck grinned as he thought about his big sister. “She’s awesome and terrifying.”

“If the two of you are done being a pair of saps,” Hen cut in. “Eddie still has to answer. Diaz, you need to answer and let me sleep or so help me, I will give Christopher so much candy the next time I see him, you’ll regret the resulting sugar rush.”

“You wouldn’t do that; Christopher knows he’s only allowed one piece a day.” Eddie recited. Hen laughed.

“I’m playing dirty here, Eddie, I’ll rope Buck in.” Eddie groaned, rolled over so he was staring up at the bottom part of the top mattress, and rubbed his face. His hair looked like a mad scientist and he turned his head to glare at Chimney.

“Buck only gives in to Christopher and he wouldn't do it.”

“I won’t?” Buck asked.

“He won’t?” Bobby asked.

“He won’t because I would sic Abuela on him and that won’t be fun for anyone.” Eddie said. “I wanted to be a stunt man, like the kind in western movies, one of my aunts loved Clint Eastwood so we watched all the films.”

“Stunt man, huh. I wouldn’t have guessed that.” Chimney said. “Sounds cool. I think all of us would have done very well with our childhood aspirations.”

“Awesome.” Eddie rolled back over, slinging an arm around Buck, and snuggled into the sheets. “Now, let me sleep.”

“Alright, aright, I know when I’m not wanted.” Chimney held his hands up and climbed down off his bed. “I’m going to go get a snack.”

“And we get some peace and quiet.” Hen praised. Chimney walked out, leaving the other four to bask in their well-deserved silence, which was broken by the shrill sound of the alarm. All of them groaned and went into work mode, grumbling about lost sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is having a decent Sunday! Day 39 of quarantine has me trying my hand at making bread, getting a new story idea, and dreading that tomorrow is the 911 season finale. Hope everyone is doing well! Leave a comment if you wish :)


	12. Chapter 12

**4 Voice**

Eddie hated being sick. It didn’t happen often, which was a blessing, since he wanted to be at his best in order to care of Christopher. So, when he woke up one morning, head pounding, nose snuffed up, and throat on fire, Eddie knew that he was sick. For a moment, Eddie just remained still in bed, eyes closed, thinking that maybe he could brush this off. Then, he cracked his eyes open, winced at the light, and moaned.

Glancing at the clock, which showed that it was roughly seven o’clock in the morning, Eddie had never been more grateful for it to be Saturday and to not have to go into work. He tried to focus in on the rest of the house, listening in for his kid, and noticed that the place beside him was empty. Eddie didn’t even register Buck getting out of bed. Moving into a sitting position on the edge of the bed took more work than Eddie was comfortable admitting.

Finally, he heard the sounds of movement in the kitchen, as well as the soft lull of one of Christopher’s music playlists, and relaxed. Buck had probably let him sleep in and was spending the morning with Christopher. Eddie shuffled his way to the bathroom, sighing as he took in his haggard appearance in the mirror, and turned on the shower. He took some Dayquil, hoping that he would start to feel better soon, and quickly shed his clothing, stepping into the hot water and steam.

The shower was amazing, a luxury that Eddie didn’t normally let himself linger in, and eventually he cut the water and hunted down some clothes. He spotted Buck’s hoodie hanging on the knob of one of the closet doors and slipped it on. Eddie racked his brain, trying to remember if they had anything planned for the day; Buck had pulled a double the day before, leaving him off until Monday, Eddie was off as well, and Christopher hadn’t mentioned any plans with friends. Eddie left the master bedroom, smiling as he noticed his boys in the kitchen, and stood there watching them.

Christopher had some magnificent bed head, curls in disarray, chattering away to Buck as he mixed the pancake batter. Buck, for his part, didn’t seem to want to tame his hair either, and the normally gelled down locks were wavy and soft. Eddie could have stayed there for hours watching then, and he would have, if his lungs didn’t choose that moment to send him into a coughing fit.

“Daddy?”

“Eddie, you okay?” Eddie waved them off, covering his mouth, and soon he felt a hand at the base of his back and a glass being pressed into his hand. He grabbed it, taking small, steady sips, and soon the coughing fit subsided. Buck was watching him warily, as if Eddie was about to fall over, and Eddie was reminded of the time when they assumed some simple coughing had almost taken out one of their own.

“Feeling better?” Buck asked. “You're a little warm.”

“Just have a cold.” Eddie’s voice was raspy, almost cracking in some places, and the frown on Buck’s face deepened. “I’m okay, mi amour.”

“I’m going to make you some tea. Sounds like your voice is going, Eds.” Buck led him over to the couch, dropping a blanket into his lap, and Eddie got comfortable. “Did you take anything?”

“Dayquil.” Eddie made a face at the scratchiness of his throat, which smoothed out when Buck pressed a kiss to his forehead, and he let out a pleased little hum.

“Alright, we might have to get you something a little stronger if it doesn’t seem like it’s working. Now, you stay here on the couch, I’ll get you some tea with honey, it’ll feel good on your throat. Think you can manage some breakfast?” Buck asked. Eddie shrugged; he knew he had to eat something, but he didn’t have the usual pangs of hunger, even for Buck’s pancakes. “How about a smoothie?” That sounded good, something nice and cool, and Eddie nodded.

“Is Daddy sick?” Christopher was standing by the coffee table, eyes worried, and Buck easily scooped him up.

“Daddy’s feeling a little crummy this morning, Chris. So, we get to take care of him, think we can do it?” Buck was good at soothing Chris and the little boy eagerly agreed, worried look transforming into one of determination.

“I wanna finish helping make breakfast, Buck.”

“Of course. I’ll need a helper to wash the fruit and work the blender.” Buck walked them both back into the kitchen. Eddie settled in, turning the TV on and putting the volume on low, letting the sounds from his boys and their normal Saturday meal preparation wash over him. He might have dosed off, not surprising considering he felt tired from his short walk into the living room, and rubbed his eyes as Buck came to sit down beside him.

“Try to get some of that down.” Buck passed him another glass, filled with the smoothie, colored light purple. Eddie took a few gulps, savored the chilliness of the drink, and snuggled into Buck’s side. Christopher was seated on the floor, using the coffee table as his own personal mini table, happily tearing into his own breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes. His boys were done before Eddie was, Christopher trading spots with Buck as the other man moved to clear the plates, and Eddie didn’t mind when Chris changed the channel to one playing old cartoon reruns.

“Chris, what do you think about spending the day at home? We can try out that new board game you got.” Buck offered.

“Yes! Can we try it out now?” Christopher asked.

“Why don’t you go brush your teeth and get dressed?” Eddie watched as Christopher made his way down to his room and Buck sat down beside him again. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Eddie didn’t care if he sounded like he was gargling rocks. “Thank you.” Buck smiled at him, which made Eddie feel warm inside, and it wasn’t because he was feeling under the weather.

“Watch the voice, Eds. I refuse to date someone who sounds like the Crypt Keeper.” Buck teased. "I should get you that tea." Eddie smirked and moved his hand quickly to Buck’s side, tickling the small patch of exposed skin.

“That’s cheating!”

“Are we tickling Buck?” Christopher inserted himself onto Buck’s lap, grinning, and his hands were on a direct course to Buck’s neck. Eddie retuned to his sides, smiling broadly as both his boys laughed, enjoying how something so simple could make them content.

“Okay, okay, I give, mercy!” Buck laughed, breath heaving, as Christopher giggle from his spot onto his chest. Eddie leaned over, pressing a kiss to his neck, then his cheek, before putting a kiss on the top of Chris’s head. “I think you might have to take care of both of us, Chris, you guys wiped me out.”

“That means I’m in cha-charge.” Christopher tapped his finger against his chin, as if he was making a major decision, and Eddie smiled fondly at him. He loved mornings like this, where he could goof off his son and boyfriend, not wondering if he was doing the right thing by sometimes working long shifts and missing time spent with them. “I think we should play a game and then bak-bake cookies!”

Buck laughed some more, seemingly not surprised by Chris’s choice; Christopher liked baking, especially the messier parts, and never failed to give Eddie’s cabinets a good coating of flour by the end of it. It should have made him annoyed, might have in the beginning, but now he welcomed it. A dirty kitchen was a well-used kitchen, and Eddie never used his kitchen that much until Buck came along.

“Sounds like a terrific plan, Superman. Why don’t we play the game first?” Buck guided his hands to make sure Chris got up safely, then he swung around to sit up, catching Eddie with a kiss to his nose as he did so. “Eds, you feeling up to a game?”

“Sure am.”

“Again, with the voice.” Buck shot him a weak excuse of a glare. “It isn’t even the hot sexy kind.”

Eddie smirked, stood, and stretched. The sweater rode up a bit, showing off his stomach and hips, and Eddie was pleased to see Buck’s eyes widen a fraction. Buck loved seeing him in his own clothing, something Eddie could get behind, and at this point in their relationship they weren’t sure who actually owned certain shirts or sweaters.

“I got it!” Christopher directed them over to the kitchen table, clearly excited, and Eddie and Buck did their best to listen and understand the rules.

The morning progressed with playing the board game with Chris, who beat the adults by a large margin, and another round of coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. By the time Christopher declared a break from the game, Eddie was fading, trying hard not to fall asleep at the table.

“Why don’t you go lay down? I’ll come get you when it’s time for lunch.” Buck rubbed his back. Eddie nodded. “Chris, wanna start on the cookies, we can have them after lunch.”

“I’ll get the recipe book.” Christopher gave a hug to his dad and then moved over to the countertop. “Go take a nap, Daddy, or you can’t have a cookie.” Buck tried, and failed, to hold back a laugh at the affronted look on Eddie’s face.

“Well, you heard him, no nap means no cookie, Eddie. We did say that Chris was in charge.” Eddie could only shake his head and got up.

Buck followed him into the bedroom, closing the blinds to give the room more darkness, and Eddie let the other man smooth out the covers after he got into bed.

“Get some rest.” Buck leaned down to kiss him and Eddie tilted his head at the last moment to press their lips together. Probably not smart, considering he was sick, but Eddie couldn’t resist. “Love you, Eds.”

“Love you, too, Evan.” Eddie rasped. He sank into the mattress, lulled to sleep by the sounds of his boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 40 of quarantine. How's everyone holding up?


	13. Chapter 13

**105\. Incentive**

Buck loved a lot of things about his boyfriend. He enjoyed how headstrong and determined Eddie was while working. How amazing of a father he was to Christopher. How Eddie, even though it never turned out quite right, tried to make some complicated dinners for the two of them when they wanted to stay in for date night. Those were just some of the many, many reasons Buck loved Eddie off the top of his head.

In addition to those, Buck was shameless in his desire and obvious attraction to Eddie anytime the man got undressed to complete home improvement jobs, often done at Abuela’s house. Eddie didn’t like to get his non-work shirts dirty, if he could avoid it, and he looked amazing in just a wife-beater and jeans. When they started dating, it made for some very uncomfortable moments which led to one of them (usually, Buck) calling out, “I need to grab something from the truck!” before getting some air.

Buck had somehow managed to get into Abuela’s good graces and he wasn’t about to ruin it by getting handsy with her grandson in her own home.

That said, when they were in the comfort of their own place, and Christopher was taken care of, Buck didn’t mind teasing Eddie to get back at him. See, while Eddie shamelessly used his own turn on’s against him, Buck could play that game just as well. Which led to today. See, Christopher was spending the weekend with Abuela, they had the entire day to spend relaxing, and no plans to go anywhere. Except, they had picked up some new furniture for Christopher’s bedroom, and it needed to be put together before the little guy came back.

“We should go back to bed.” Eddie said, wrapping himself around Buck’s waist, pressing a kiss to his neck. “Chris doesn’t need to be picked up until tomorrow.”

“True.” Buck agreed. He allowed Eddie to run his hands along his sides, mouth twitching into a smile, before twisting his head and planting a kiss on Eddie’s cheek. “Sadly, we have furniture to build.”

“We can do that later.”

“Eddie, I really don’t think Chris is going to want to sleep on the floor when he gets home.”

“It won’t take long to put the things together.” Eddie hooked his head onto Buck’s shoulder and tightened his grip on Buck’s hips. “We’ll be quick, Ev.”

“We both know that’s a lie.” Buck gently extracted himself from his boyfriend’s hold, enjoying the resulting pout, and headed down to the bedrooms. “Come on, if you help me, I’ll make it good for you.”

That seemed to intrigue Eddie. Buck sent him off to get the tool kit while he made a quick stop into their bedroom. Seeing as how they didn’t need to leave the apartment, and had the day off, Buck hadn’t bothered to gel his hair. It left the locks slightly curly, which Eddie loved, as his hands always seemed to stray to Buck’s hair whenever it got like this. Buck walked over to the closet, finding the shirt he wanted, and slipped it on. One of Eddie’s old work shirts, the DIAZ fading on the back, but it was soft and never failed to get Eddie into a slightly possessive mood.

Buck had promised some fun later on, but nowhere did it say that he couldn’t tease Eddie in the meantime. He exited the room, pausing to stop at the doorframe of Chris’s room, watching as Eddie was on the floor, opening the boxes.

“Are you going to help, Buck, or just stand there like a statue?”

“Just admiring the view.” Buck said. “I’ll take the dresser and you take the bed frame?”

“Sure, just leave me with the hard job.” Eddie turned and Buck almost preened when he saw how Eddie’s eyes widened. “Now, that isn’t fair at all, Evan.”

“What? My stuff is in the wash.” Buck said innocently. Eddie narrowed his eyes, shifted, and Buck grinned as Eddie’s pants got a bit…tighter. “Better get started, Eds, as you pointed out you have the hard job.”

Eddie turned back to the box, muttering under his breath in Spanish, and Buck chuckled. It was a lot of fun riling Eddie up, especially now that he had so many different ways to do it, which made Buck want to seek out other opportunities to do it more often. Buck got to work, placing the directions where he needed them, and began to piece together the dresser. It was larger than Chris’s old one, taller too, with built up handles to allow for easier access to the drawer. Buck went to grab the next bag of screws, noticed a lack of noise from his boyfriend, and turned to see Eddie sitting on the ground, eyes pinned on him. He was giving Buck that soft look usually reserved for their mornings together.

“You are supposed to be putting together a bed frame.”

“I got distracted.” Eddie said. “Can’t find the screwdriver, either.”

“Uh-huh. That so?” Buck spied the tool in the middle of Eddie’s lap and he moved forward, fingers brushing against Eddie’s thigh, before taking the tool and holding it up. “Oh, look what I found.”

“Must have dropped it.” Eddie grinned, one hand coming up to cup Buck’s face, the other tossing the tool away to pull him closer. “I think we’ve done enough to warrant a break, Buck.”

Buck looked behind Eddie; the bed frame had, at best, three parts of it put together. The majority of the furniture was still in the plastic bags or in piles to be assembled. The dresser, on the other hand, only had one more drawer to be finished, and then moved to its new spot against the wall. Buck pursed his lips, tilted his head as if he was thinking hard, and then swooped in to press a kiss to Eddie’s lips.

“How about, for every piece you put together, I’ll give you a kiss.”

“What kind of kiss?” Eddie asked, pupils blown wide, and Buck smirked.

“Now, what kind of surprise would that be if I told you. Gotta get you to work somehow.” Buck patted his cheek, sat back on his heels, and stretched. Eddie inhaled sharply as the shirt rode up and exposed his abs and hips. Buck knew he would be in for it later, not that he minded, and went back to work.

“Hey, Buck?” Eddie appeared in his line of sight. “I finished one part.”

“Did you now?” Buck looked up and stood. Eddie reached out, clearly thinking it would be the same kind of kiss that he got earlier, until Buck evaded his lips and connected with his neck. It wasn’t enough to leave a hickey, they had a rule about that since they still had to appear professional, and Christopher would notice. The sex talk would come about one day but the two of them were hoping to push it off as long as they could.

“There.” Buck was giddy at the look on Eddie’s face; a cross between excitement and frustration. Eddie wanted to take advantage of their alone time. Back when Buck had his old apartment, the days Eddie came over alone meant that they were able to be as handsy as they wanted without worrying about who might see. “Keep working at it. I’m sure you’ll get it done.”

“It would go faster if you helped.”

“Nope!” Buck said cheerfully. “Two pieces of furniture. Two of us. I think we can handle it.”

Buck resumed what he was doing, quickly finishing up his job, and easily moved the empty dresser to where it needed to go. Eddie wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he hadn't been working when he looked over, eyes scanning over Buck’s body, and it felt as if he was getting undressed even though no articles of clothing had been removed.

“Well, seeing as how I finished, and you haven’t, I think I’ll go get started on lunch.”

Buck went to leave, only to have Eddie pounce him, and gently brace him against the wall. Kissing, which never got old between them, was hot and heavy. Eddie’s hands moved down from Buck’s waist to his hips, occasionally dipping lower to touch skin, and it left Buck shivering.

“I completed another part.” Eddie nuzzled behind Buck’s ear. “I’ve come to claim my kiss.”

“Seems like you’re looking for more than a kiss.”

“You are wearing my shirt.” Eddie pulled back to look Buck in the eye. “It looks so good on you. We’re putting furniture together for our kid and you’re bending over wearing my clothes.” Eddie pressed their pelvises together, sending sparks up Buck’s spine, and shifted his hands to tangle in Buck’s hair. “You look sexy like this and I want to enjoy it.”

Buck loved Eddie in multiple forms. Privately, he was glad that he was the only one that got to see Eddie like this; hair askew, eager for skin to skin contact, and ready to go at any moment. If they hadn’t been in Christopher’s room, Buck was positive that Eddie would have had him against the wall or floor in a heartbeat.

“Well, I think we can squeeze in another break.” Buck rolled his hips, savoring the gasp it got from Eddie, and tilted his head down slightly to nibble along Eddie’s jaw. “Our room is down the hall and I didn’t make the bed yet.”

“Good.” Eddie started to walk them out of the room. The moment they crossed into their bedroom, Eddie was on him again, boxing him into the mattress, hands going under the shirt to touch his back.

“This really gets you going, huh?” Buck asked, slightly breathless as Eddie pressed in closer, and moaned as Eddie rocked them together.

“Evan, you have no idea.” Eddie leaned down to kiss him again, a bruising locking of lips that was sure to leave his lips swollen after. “But, you will after I show you. Especially since you've been teasing me all morning.”

Buck was going to need to find more home improvement jobs to be done around the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 41. Hope everyone is doing well and recovering from last nights episode. Leave a comment if you want :)


	14. Chapter 14

**88\. Bell**

When Buck was a kid, one of his favorite things was being able to crawl into bed with Maddie after he had a nightmare. She never minded, often leaving space in the bed so that he could slip in, and didn’t call any attention to it in the morning except for a soft, “Are you okay?” It made Buck feel safe, and when Maddie left, the feeling of safety went with her. After that, whenever he had nightmares, he dealt with them on his own.

It wasn’t surprising that his nightmares soon transformed into night terrors; from the bombing, to the tsunami, to every insecurity he had that was dredged up by the lawsuit, it was something new each time. Living alone made it easy to hide once it was done but harder to bounce back from, especially when he needed to go out into the world and act like a person. Buck wouldn’t have expected that his newest comfort would come in the form of his black lab.

Argo loved to cuddle, nearly always touching some part of his body when they were together, and whined if they weren’t. The first night that Buck had a bad dream following getting Argo was interesting. Argo had been pressed against his back on the bed. Each time Buck shifted, Argo followed, which meant that Buck was now sideways on the bed with half the covers piled under Argo. It wasn’t a good night; therapy hadn’t been fun, leaving him more than sore, and Buck had been missing his team more than usual that day.

The nightmare had taken him under, then threw him back into the present, leaving Buck gasping and teetering off the edge of his bed. Buck was shaking, well aware of the wetness on his face, and tried to take deep enough breaths so that he wouldn’t pass out. He registered the heavy weight on his lap after a moment, trembling hands moving to rest on Argo’s fur, and something inside Buck relaxed.

“Hey sweetheart.” Buck scratched behind her eyes, allowing her to press her head up and catch his chin with her nose, and then let her lick his face twice. “It’s alright, Argo. I’m okay.”

The whine that came from the dog didn’t sound like Argo was convinced; even without the light on in the room, Buck could tell that she was giving her patented “I don’t believe your bullshit” look. They stayed in that position for a while, Buck simply petting Argo, and Argo occasionally licking his face or hands. Buck eventually tried to get back to sleep, giving the clock on the bedside table a weary glare as it read 3:18 am, and shifted to his side to allow Argo to curl closer to him.

From then on, whenever he had a nightmare, Argo refused to leave his side. There were some that were so intense that Buck needed to hide, to run, often becoming aware of his surroundings and realizing he was hiding in his bathroom. Argo did not appreciate that; she wanted to comfort him and there was a door in her way. She would whine and paw at the wood until Buck finally opened it. Soon, it wasn’t long before Argo was glued to his side during the day too. She would still play with her toys, and enjoyed going for walks, but Argo always had eyes on him. Even when one of his friends came for a visit, Argo would allow them to pet her, or play with her, maybe even sit next to them for a little while, before moving back to Buck.

“Seems like Argo is settling in pretty well.” Eddie commented one day. He had swung by, “just to visit”, and refused to take Buck’s money when he started to put groceries in the cabinets.

“Ya, she’s been great.” Buck said. Argo was with them in the kitchen, sitting between Buck’s legs while he was in the chair, and was watching Eddie with critical eyes. Buck wasn’t sure if she was evaluating him or waiting to see if he would drop something on the ground for her.

“Chim says you don’t send enough pictures of her.”

“She moves too quick for the camera sometimes.” Eddie laughed, finished unpacking the last bag that seemed to contain nothing but different types of coffee and tea, before walking over with something in his hand. Buck noticed the treat in his hand, Argo perking up when she smelled it, and her tail started to go a mile a minute.

“Is it alright if I give her a treat?” Eddie asked. “I saw it at the store and thought she could use a pick-me-up, too.”

“Ya, man, go for it.” Buck shouldn’t be getting this emotional over a dog treat. Lately, his emotions had been all over the place, which everyone had noticed, and Buck was determined to get it under control. “Watch your fingers, she likes to nip sometimes when she takes a treat.”

Heeding Buck’s warning, Eddie held out the treat, getting a lap full of Argo’s front paws and her teeth clamping around the dog treat. Goodie in mouth, Argo pranced back to her dog bed, circling twice, before plopping down to enjoy the treat Eddie had given her. Eddie laughed again, wiping his hand on his jeans, and stood.

“Alright, one Buckley taken care of, now it’s your turn.”

“You don’t need to do anything, Eddie, you already brought groceries.” Buck attempted to argue and let it drop when Eddie gave him a look; Buck knew it was the same look he gave to Christopher when he was acting up or got caught being naughty.

“I want to do this.” Eddie said plainly. “Let me, please?” This led to Buck watching Eddie, in a mix of worry and fondness, attempt to make lunch for the pair of them.

Overall, Argo liked the others when they came over, but nighttime was solely for the two of them. The dog bed on the upper loft area wasn’t used often, Argo mainly using it when Buck was showering, since she preferred his bed. Buck ended up ordering more pillows, after the third time of having his stolen, and that seemed to solve the problem. Buck knew Argo was protective, as did the others, but he didn’t know how seriously she took that role.

He hadn’t been expecting anyone that night, considering it was past 11 o’clock, and Buck was trying to get some sleep. Argo was curled against him, facing the stairs, and Buck was coming down from a nightmare. It wasn’t bad, not even hitting the top ten of worst dreams in his opinion, and it had left Buck shivering. He couldn’t recall specifics of what the dream had been about, just that it had been awful, and it left him feeling hollowed out.

Buck was petting Argo, starting at her head, going to the scruff of fur on her neck, down her back, and then back up. Argo’s tail was slowly wagging back and forth against the sheets, the gently swooshing motion lulling him back to sleep almost, before Argo was sitting up, ears perked and alert. Buck heard the sound of keys in his lock, then his door opening, and he pushed himself up to see who was there. Even with the apartment bathed in darkness, Buck could pick out Eddie’s figure, and Buck sat up fully on the bed. Eddie came up the stairs, not surprised to see Buck awake, and made to move towards him.

Easier said than done.

Argo refused to let that happen, jumping off the bed and blocking Eddie’s movements with her body. It would have been humorous if Buck wasn’t half asleep. Eddie huffed, tried to step forward, and Argo tripped him, sending him toppling into the end of the mattress. Seeing her job done, Argo went back to her position next to Buck, eyes zeroed in on Buck’s best friend.

“Little late for a social call, isn’t it?” Buck asked. Eddie’s mouth thinned and he fisted part of the comforter in his hands.

“Rough call. Needed to make sure you were okay.” Buck could understand that; many times, it took physically seeing one another to reassure themselves that everyone was alright. Buck thought about asking what had happened, then shut that thought down, knowing that Eddie didn’t like to talk about it.

“I’m okay, Eddie.” Buck went back to petting Argo, who leaned into him, still watching Eddie. “Sorry about Argo, she gets a little protective at night.”

“Just at night?”

“Sometimes.” Buck wasn’t about to talk about the nightmares. Especially since it appeared that Eddie already had a rough shift. “Anything I can do for you?”

“Can I stay over?” Eddie requested in a sheepish tone. It was weird, since Eddie was always confident, and Buck didn’t try to analyze it. He was too tired for that right now. “Carla has Christopher and we can go to your therapy appointment together in the morning.”

“Ya, man, sounds good.” Buck yawned. “Get comfortable.”

Eddie shed his shoes, jacket, and work pants. He walked over to Buck’s dresser, pulling out a pair of sweats, and placed his phone on the bedside table. Taking the empty space in the bed, Eddie slipped under the covers, and grinned as Argo switched sides so that she was in the middle.

“She likes to be in the middle of everything, doesn’t she?”

“Sorry if she pushes you out of bed.” Buck was already falling asleep.

“It’s alright, Buck.” Eddie was hesitant to pet Argo, and she allowed him to rub his hand against her back, before pressing into Buck’s stomach. “Night, Buck.”

“Night, Eds.” Buck didn’t linger on the implications of what they were doing, or why Eddie had shown up in the middle of the night, or why he was letting it all happen without asking. Buck wasn’t sure how long he was asleep for, or what had woken him up, only that he was on the border of falling back asleep or waking up.

“You keep him safe for me when I’m not here, okay?” Eddie’s voice sounded off, like he was trying hard not to cry, and Buck couldn’t find it in himself to open his eyes. “We gotta work together to get him back, Argo.”

Buck shifted, arm tightening on his hold around Argo’s middle, and he felt warm when he noticed Eddie’s arm nearby. Buck would deal with all of this in the morning; Eddie and Argo had it handled right now, and Buck wasn’t about to wake up and ruin it. Buck knew he was in good hands.


	15. Chapter 15

**97\. Stable**

Chimney was quick about getting his gear off and then jumping in the shower. The last call had been messy, literally, since the guy they needed to rescue had gotten stuck in an actual bog, which Chimney didn’t realize they had in LA. So, they were all dirty, tired, and more than ready to go home. Well, he was at least; Eddie and Bobby were on a 16-hour shift, Hen and Buck had a 24-hour one ahead of them.

When Chimney was done, he found his gear dealt with already, and a bag in front of his locker. There wasn’t anyone around, though he could hear talking in the bay area, and Chimney shrugged. There was a card that held a gift certificate to one of Chimney and Maddie’s favorite sushi places. A nice bottle of red wine was also there, along with a post-it note, instructing Chimney to open and let it aerate for at least an hour for the best taste.

There wasn’t a name to go with it, but Chimney was a pretty decent wannabe detective, and he could detect Hen’s easy swoops of cursive and Buck’s chicken scratch on the pieces of paper. It made him smile, that they had made a note to remember what today was, and went out of their way to do something nice. It had been a long, rough, and frankly scary year. Not that Chimney would regret it; Maddie was wonderful and he didn’t think for a moment that his life would be better without her in it. Chimney couldn’t believe it had been a year already.

They had slowed down in their relationship following the attack on both of them from Doug, taking the time to work on their communication and where they wanted their to go as a couple. It had worked. He and Maddie were still going strong, not without some hiccups along the way, and had finally reached the threshold that Chimney wanted all along. A one-year anniversary. Zipping his jeans, grabbing anything else he needed to bring home, Chimney shouldered his bag and took the gift left by his friends. Bobby was on the floor when he exited the locker room.

“I’m off, Bobby, have fun with the others.” Chimney called out cheerfully. Bobby looked up from what he was doing and smiled.

“I’ll try my best.” The older man noticed the gift bag. “That’s new.”

“It’s from Hen and Buck.” Chimney explained. “It’s Maddie and I’s anniversary today. You happen to know where they’re at so I can thank them?”

“Bunk room. Eddie and I only have a few more hours on call, but those two have a way to go.” Chimney could understand. Hen was taking longer shifts to save up money for a down payment for a new house. Buck didn’t need the money, but he liked the work, and his sleep schedule had never been the best or most consistent.

“Thanks. I’ll pop my head in and then I’m free!” Buck and Hen were in the bunk room, Hen on her phone, and Buck sprawled across the cot. Chimney rapped his knuckles against the door. Hen lowered her phone and Buck lifted his head.

“You didn’t need to get us anything, but thank you.” Chimney said honestly. Hen gave him a look that translated to “are you kidding me?” and Buck grinned.

“It’s just a little something.” Buck said casually. “Now, get out of here, Chim, Maddie will be pissed if you’re late tonight.”

Chimney left them to it, giving them well wishes for a safe shift, and hopped in his car. Going home after work was a toss-up depending on what had happened. Sometimes Chimney blasted music, angry at the world for how a call had ended, other times he rolled down the windows and sang along to the radio when things went right. Flipping on the radio, the station started playing one of Maddie’s favorite songs. Turning it up, Chimney perked up, and started the drive home. Maddie’s car was in the driveway when he pulled in. Gathering his belongings, Chimney walked as fast as he could to the door, opening it, and dropping his work bag by the door.

“Honey, I’m home!” Chimney sang. Following the sound of Maddie’s laugh, spotting her at the island in the kitchen, Chimney wrapped her in his arms, pressing kisses along her forehead, cheeks, and lips.

“Hi.”

“Hi there.” Maddie greeted back. “Perfect timing, I just got back a few minutes ago.”

“Excellent, I think I have just the place to order from.” Chimney busted out the gift card and wine. “Curtesy of two fellow firefighters, that won’t be named, dinner is on them tonight.”

“I’ll call it in, you get the wine sorted.” Maddie dictated.

Chimney hunted down the wine opener, setting it aside to let it breathe, and then spent the rest of the time watching Maddie. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, comfortable pajama pants on, and one of his old shirts. Neither of them had wanted to go out tonight to celebrate. After the order was placed and paid for, Maddie set her phone down and walked over to him. Foreheads pressed together, hands linked, neither of them talked for a little while.

“Happy anniversary.” Chimney whispered.

“Happy anniversary.” Maddie echoed. “Josh picked up some flowers for us. Said we couldn’t have an anniversary without a bunch of plants that will die in a week.”

“That’s alright.” Chimney leaned back and brushed back some stray strands of hair that had escaped Maddie’s ponytail. “Eddie and I were treated to hearing about how each flower has different meanings from Buck earlier this week. Pretty sure I could tell you about them.”

“They’d probably get along.” Maddie chuckled. “What kind of music are you feeling tonight?”

“If I can hold you while we dance, I don’t care.” Maddie went to get her phone, Chimney hanging onto her every step of the way, as she pulled up Spotify and clicked on a playlist. Gentle instrumental music poured out, soft and calm, and the pair ended up swaying together in the kitchen. Chimney was sure he still smelled slightly like his shift, smoke and sweat and stale water; Maddie had ditched her makeup, didn’t care that her hair looked like she just woke up, and was rocking his shirt.

There wasn’t any fancy dinner, no overly grand romantic gestures, no undying promises of love. Just the two of them, dancing in place in their kitchen with dishes in the sink, content with a night in to celebrate. They deserved to celebrate. There had been too many times where Chimney thought he wouldn’t get to have this. That Maddie would decide that it was too much, that a relationship coming off the messy closure of Doug was too much to handle, that Chimney would wake up and realize he didn’t have Maddie in his life anymore.

“I got you something.” Maddie said as her head was resting against his shoulder. “Nothing big, just a little gift.”

“I hope we didn’t hide it in the same place.” Chimney kissed her again because he could. “I got you something, too.”

They didn’t hide their gifts in the same spot, only in the same room, and Chimney had a moment of panic to think about how hard it was going to be to hide Christmas gifts or an engagement ring. They went back to the living room, curling up together on the couch, music still playing in the background. Maddie pressed a tiny box into his hand while he exchanged a similar sizing one. Opening it at the same time, Chimney stared down at the object in his hands, heart pounding in his chest.

A simply black watch gazed back at him. With shaking fingers, Chimney picked it up, turning it over. There was an engraving on the back: I choose you. Three simple words. Maddie was holding her gift in her hands, looking at him with a soft expression, and it looked like she was having the same difficulties of trying hard not to cry. Chimney had agonized over what to get Maddie, everything seemed too commercial, or too much, or not enough. Finally, he found it, and then spirited it away. It was a pendant, sterling silver, and had their initials carved into the back, along with the date they had met. Maddie held it out to him.

“Help me put it on?” Maddie turned around, Chimney opening the clasp with shaking fingers, both of them coming to rest their hand on it once it lay flat against Maddie’s chest.

“Help me with mine?” Chimney asked in return. Maddie plucked the watch out from the box, wrapping it around his wrist, and running her fingers against the leather after she was done. “I love you, Maddie.”

Chimney said it gently, almost with reverence, and tried to pour in as much affection and care into those words as he could. Knew that there had been a time when Maddie heard them and couldn’t take them in for what they were supposed to mean.

“I love you, Howie.” Maddie circled her arms around his waist, tucking in close, and Chimney tightened his grip, running his hands along her back.

“We did it.” Chimney resumed their gentle swaying to the music. “Made it a whole year.”

“This year is going to be amazing.” Maddie tilted her head to look at him better. “Ready for another year with me, Han?”

“I think I can handle you, Buckley.” Maddie’s laugh was the best sound he had heard all day.

They kept the soft, romantic mood going as their food arrived, and they poured open the wine, and changed the music to something better suited to dancing around the living room in various states of undress. As they fell into bed together, mouth and hands trying to go everywhere at once, all Chimney could feel was an overwhelming sense of love for the woman in front of him. He couldn’t wait for their next anniversary…and the next one…and the ones that followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 43 of quarantine. I organized my writing list...there's gonna be a flood of fluff and a healthy helping of angst. Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Leave a comment if you wish :)


	16. Chapter 16

**33\. Light**

It was a secret that they managed to keep for close to four months.

Buck and Eddie had gotten the time off, not without pulling long hours and picking up more shifts to get enough money, packed the bags in the dead of night, and worked around the clock to book everything. Christopher loved Disney, that was obvious to anyone who spent the afternoon with him, and Eddie had always wanted to take his son to what was known as the happiest place on earth. There never seemed to be a good time to go, and when there was, the funds weren't there. Bills had to be paid, Christopher had his therapy sessions, and tuition for private school wasn’t cheap.

Then Eddie and Buck got their heads out of their asses and started dating.

Weekend outings and adventures had already been in place prior to getting together. Buck didn’t mind spending money on Christopher; buying the boy ice cream, or a new toy for a terrific report card, or a book just because he saw it and thought Christopher would like it. Buck saw no problem with helping out in the money aspect. Eddie put up a fight, which led to numerous discussions between them, until he finally agreed to let Buck start paying for small things.

Picking up the grocery tab every other week. Paying for half the utilities and rent when he finally said yes to Eddie asking him to move in. When Eddie’s transmission broke, Buck didn’t flinch at the estimated cost to repair it, sliding his card across the counter before Eddie could blink. His boyfriend saw no reason not to spend his money on the people he loved. Eddie had noticed it through his observations of Buck’s interactions with their friends; picking up Chimney’s favorite coffee once in a while or sneaking in more expensive ingredients for Bobby to use when no one was looking.

Eddie tried to ask Maddie about it, who didn’t give much away, only stating that Buck never cared to think about hoarding his cash for himself. Which led to the pair finally have the big discussion: going on a vacation as a unit of three. It would be the first trip they took together as a couple, and the first long term trip they took with Christopher. They talked about it for hours. Where would they want to go? How would they get there? Was the place they were going to accessible for Christopher and would there be enough there to keep him interested? How long did they plan on staying, did they have enough vacation hours saved up, and on and on.

Eventually, Buck got tired to Eddie talking in circles and went to find Christopher, who had been playing in his room, and ushered him into the master bedroom. Buck had asked Chris where he wanted to go on vacation and no sooner than Buck had asked, Christopher’s face lit up, and shouted out, “Disneyland!”

So, here they were, tickets bought, bags packed, ready to go spend a week at Disneyland. Christopher loved the plane ride, asking Buck to help him see where each plane was going on the big destination screen as Eddie checked their bags in, and enjoyed looking out the window as they flew. The three of them were feeling sleepy as they landed, grabbed their belongings, and got on the shuttle that took them to their room. Christopher insisted on exploring the hotel room, despite his numerous yawns, and Eddie let him go as Buck got them settled. They all slept well, and Eddie wished it could have been longer, because they were woken up by Christopher jumping on their bed at six o’clock that morning.

“Chris, I thought we had a rule to not wake up Daddy before seven on the weekend?” Eddie wasn’t above begging to get another five minutes of sleep. Buck’s head was still buried halfway under a pillow beside him.

“That was for when we were at home.” Christopher rolled over Eddie, kneeing him in the stomach without shame, and lifted Buck’s arm until it was draped over him. “We’re at Disney, Dad, we need to get up and go.”

“Buck’s still asleep.” Eddie pointed out.

“No, he’s not.” Buck grumbled. Christopher laughed, turning to pester Buck until he was fully awake and getting out of bed. “Come on, Eddie, let’s get a move on.”

They grabbed breakfast in the dining hall, which helped since they had coffee, and soon they were on their way to the park. Christopher insisted on walking, Eddie going over the reception desk to get the necessary things for children with disabilities, always wanting to have all the available options. The morning was spent going on ride after ride, Eddie and Buck trading places with Christopher, both adults savoring the sounds of Christopher screeching in glee. They took a break in the afternoon, when Christopher started to fade, deciding to walk around the shops. They met some characters, Christopher enjoying that part immensely, and Eddie pocketed the photos taken on his phone, intent on making one of them his new phone screen saver. Christopher eventually ended up on Buck’s back, pointing everything out since his hands were free, Eddie carrying their bag and crutches. They went on more rides, took so many pictures that Eddie was sure that neither of them would have any room left on their phones after this trip, and they easily reached their daily step count.

“Can we watch the fireworks and parade?” Christopher asked as they were finishing up lunch. Buck looked over at Eddie, leaving it up to him, while Eddie considered it. He was normally alright with fireworks as long as he knew they were coming and he could block out the noise.

“Chris, why don’t you stay here with your dad, alright? I’ll be right back.” Buck pressed a kiss to both of their heads and disappeared into the crowd. Eddie didn’t think to hard on it, well aware of Buck’s tendency to get an idea and literally run with it, knowing that he would be back. Fifteen minutes later, Buck was back with a small bag, which he passed to Eddie.

Inside were several pairs of earplugs of varying colors and form, as well as a set of noise cancelling headphones, the types used to block out loud noises for children.

“I figured you should have some options just in case you needed them.” Buck said gently. He was well aware of how Eddie’s PTSD reared up at odd times, and considering how badly Eddie wanted Christopher to have a good time on this trip, Buck was doing his part to help make it happen. “Even if you don’t want to use them, we can keep them in the bag.”

“You should try them on.” Christopher reached over and plucked the headphones out. Eddie took them when Christopher held them out and put them on. They blocked out the sounds around them well enough and would probably do a good job of blocking out the majority of the fireworks. Buck was watching him, eyes showing some of the worry he was obviously feeling, and Eddie smiled as he took the headphones off.

“These work out great.” Eddie brushed Christopher’s hair back. “What time do the fireworks start?”

Christopher let out a cheer and Buck let out a sigh of relief, smiling in return when Eddie looked over at him. The trio made their way around the park, going on more rides, and Eddie bought a picture of them at the end of one of the rollercoasters. Chris begged to get a treat, convincing Buck to split a snow cone with him, and Eddie gleefully enjoyed their indigent looks as he stole several bites. Dinner was spent outside, people watching, as Christopher recounted his favorite parts of the day. Soon, it began to get dark, and they moved down to where the fireworks were scheduled to start. Christopher wanted to get a good spot.

Had he been a little younger, Eddie might have been able to hold him up on his shoulders; Buck might have been able to, but it wasn’t wise to try with his leg after spending the entire day walking and standing on it.

“Are they going to start soon?” Christopher asked again, patting Buck’s arm, as Eddie checked his phone.

“Ten more minutes, mijo, then the fireworks start.” Eddie had pulled the headphones out already, placing them in his lap, ready to be used if it got to be too much. He had assured Buck that he would be alright, so long as he could see and touch Buck and Christopher, throughout the show.

“Can you see alright, buddy?” Buck was leaning back on his elbows, legs stretched out against the grass, eyes bright. Eddie had worried that the walking would be too much on both his boys and knew that they would sleep well tonight once they were back at the hotel.

“Uh-huh.”

Over the loudspeaker, the announcer began to talk, signaling the beginning of the fireworks show, and Eddie shifted closer. He tangled his hand with Buck’s letting Christopher rest against both of them, and slipped on the headphones. Eddie took countless pictures of Christopher looking up at the night sky as the brightly colored fireworks moved above them. He also took some of Buck, whose gaze bounced between Chris and Eddie, wide smile plastered on his face.

At the end of the show, Christopher was falling asleep. Eddie slipped over the headphones, handing them off the Buck to put back in the bag, before scooping Christopher up, softly telling Buck to get his crutches. The crowd of people had Eddie keeping his boys close, not as anxious as he normally was following a firework display, and wondered why he never thought of getting noise cancelling headphones before.

“Did you have fun today?” Eddie softly spoke into Christopher hair. His kid nodded against his shoulder, eyes drooping, as another yawn broke free.

“I always have fun with you and Buck.” Christopher rubbed his eye, skewing his glasses, and Buck reached over to fix them when he was done. “Are we coming back tomorrow?”

“You bet.” Eddie couldn’t wait, already imagining Christopher’s face as they went to see the animals and shows and ride countless other amusement park rides. The happiest place on earth had nothing on his two favorite guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 44, hopefully everyone is hanging in there, is anyone trying out a new activity to stay busy? If you are working during this time, thank you, and stay safe <3


	17. Chapter 17

**69\. Child**

Eddie never thought much about having more kids. Christopher would always be a blessing and Eddie never once considered that his son wasn’t enough for him. Maybe if he and Shannon had been on better terms, or if he hadn’t run away so many times, or if Christopher’s infancy hadn’t terrified him, having more kids would be on his mind. Now, with Christopher approaching the pre-teen years, Eddie wondered if it was too late.

The one thing he hadn’t considered, or expected, was to find someone else to spend his life with after Shannon. Granted, Evan never begrudged that Christopher wasn’t his by blood, and took to co-parenting with Eddie like a duck to water. He was there for every school event that their schedule allowed them to attend. Buck researched and helped with school projects and homework. He shuttled Chris to and from school, went with Eddie to parent teacher conferences, was the emergency contact for all of Christopher’s necessary documents.

Buck loved Eddie’s son with every fiber of his being, long before he probably realized it, and way before Eddie realized he wanted Buck with them forever. Which was why Eddie wasn’t sure how to bring up the conversation that had been plaguing him for weeks. Maybe it was a slight case of baby fever. Hen and Karen’s adoption had been processed and celebrated months prior to this; Chimney and Maddie were loving having their baby girl home, having just celebrated her six-month milestone, and Eddie knew Athena and Bobby weren’t about to have another kid.

Buck was still young, loved kids, and Eddie may not have daydreamed once or twice what it would be like to raise a baby with his husband. Buck had only just turned 30 when he and Eddie got hitched. Christopher was growing up, more and more each day it seemed, and Eddie sometimes felt that time was slipping through his fingers. His partner had never mentioned having more kids. Eddie had no doubts that Buck was a good father; he could list countless examples from watching Buck interact with Chris, hell, even with some of the other kids in their odd little family.

He had met Eddie’s nieces and nephews, often being dragged off into some game or scheme before he could make the rounds with the adults when they went to Texas to visit, and Eddie could watch that for hours. Eddie didn’t want Buck to miss out on anything. There were special moments Eddie had experienced with Christopher, not as many as he should have, and he wished Buck could have that. Have the memory of holding his own kid in his arms for the first time, that encompassing feeling of terror and love, of knowing that the little being cradled in your arms was yours.

Like most conversations about feelings, Eddie blurted it out without thinking; therapy might have brought him a long way when it came to expressing himself, but it was still a work in progress. Jokingly, people often called him the serious one in the relationship, and Eddie let it lie. Most people didn’t know that Buck only emoted so well because he never saw a reason to not do so. You had to know Buck, really know him, to see when he was putting up an act versus being genuine.

They were at work, Buck spotting Chimney as he worked on his sets, Eddie trying and failing to finish his own workout. The previous call had been hectic, consisting of a fire that had spread to five houses, almost the whole block, and let most of the residents in a panic. There were kids involved, which always knocked their team for a loop, considering that everyone had a kid waiting for them at home now. Buck had been assisting Hen with some of victims, sharing information and grabbing materials as needed, all the while holding a small toddler who had been screaming for his mom, who was being attended to by Hen.

“You alright over there?” Buck’s voice broke him out of his train of thought. Chimney was gone from the bench, sipping on his water bottle, looking over at Eddie as Buck wiped down where Chim’s back had been.

“Just thinking.” Eddie said.

“Must be thinking pretty hard then. That poor squirrel is running so fast I can see smoke coming off his wheel.” Chimney teased. Eddie flicked the back of his head as Chimney passed him, causing him to laugh, and then it was just them in the gym.

“You sure everything is okay?”

“I want you to have a kid.” Eddie blurted out. Buck’s eyes widened, mouth opening then closing, before Buck ditched his task and focused solely on his husband.

“I have a kid, we both do, in case you’ve forgotten.” Buck tilted his head. “Wanna tell me what this is about?”

“It’s, you’ve never had a baby.” Eddie wanted to get the words out, but his brain wasn’t letting them out in the order he wanted. “All of us had a baby, and you never did, so I just want you to have that. I don’t want you to miss out.” Buck stared at him for a long moment, Eddie resisting the urge to fidget, before Buck sighed and tossed the used wipe into the trash bin.

“Okay. There’s a lot to unpack there.” Buck came over to him, bumping their arms together, before flashing him a small smile. “I know I’m the only one here that never raised a baby. I’m okay with that. I think I’ve always seen Chris as mine in some part for a long time, so it doesn’t bother me that I never had other kids, even if everyone else has.”

“Would you want that?” Eddie had always wondered about it, if Buck ever wanted to have someone of his own, and if he had ever wondered that when he dated previous exes. “I don’t want you to regret not having that experience.”

“You think I regret not having a baby?” Buck clarified and continued after Eddie nodded hesitantly. “Eddie, I love kids, but I never thought I’d get to have my own. Kind of started writing if off after some point, actually, but you and Chris changed that.” Buck looked up at the sound of people walking around, and after seeing no one coming in, led them over to an empty bench and gently shoved Eddie to sit down.

“I’ve got you and Chris, and being able to watch him grow is more than enough for me, Eds. I don’t think I could love that kid anymore if I tried.” Buck caught his eye and rubbed Eddie’s hand, smiling when Eddie linked their fingers together. “I don’t need a baby, Eddie. I’ve got Phoebe covering that aspect for me and I get all of new parent woes from Maddie and Chim.”

He got that familiar gleam in his eyes when started talking about his niece, the little girl that had entered the world much sooner than expected, and was now blowing everyone out of the water. Eddie could understand the sentiment; Buck turned to mush whenever Phoebe was in his arms.

“What if I wanted you to have a baby with me?” Eddie finally asked. That was the crux of it, Eddie knew, the thought of having a kid with Buck.

“I thought about it.” Buck answered slowly. “I never really got further than that. I figured we have it pretty good with Christopher and I’m happy with you two.” Buck paused, as if he was weighing his next words carefully, and Eddie did his best to be patient. “Do you want a baby with me?”

“I can’t stop thinking about it, honestly.” Eddie had pictured it; a little kid with Buck’s curls, brown eyes like Christopher, maybe a dimple in its cheek that popped out with each smile. “Christopher is amazing, you’re great with him, but sometimes I wonder about having another kid.” Buck nodded only with him, expression soft, before speaking again.

“This is what’s being bugging you all along? Thinking of having another kid?”

“Was it that obvious?” Eddie asked sheepishly.

“Eddie, you would zone out anytime I was near a kid. I’m pretty sure Chris and I were able to talk about utter nonsense with you one night at dinner because you were spacing out.” Eddie took a breath, moving his head back enough to rest against the wall, and closed his eyes. Buck waited him out, familiar with Eddie’s ticks, and knowing that rushing him would only result in Eddie clamming up and refusing to continue the conversation.

“I think I might want another kid.” Eddie opened his eyes, locking onto Buck’s blue ones, and tried to convey everything he was feeling into his expression and body language. “Maybe we’ll decide not to, or maybe we will down the road, but I can’t stop thinking about it. I think about Christopher being a big brother. I think about you holding a kid, our kid, trying to get them to sleep at night.”

“Christopher would be an amazing big brother.” Buck admitted. “I’m not saying no, or yes, to having another kid. We should talk to Chris about it, probably talk more about it with each other, before we make any major decisions. Especially since we can’t get a baby the old fashion way.”

Eddie started laughing, which caused Buck to join in, and the closeness and private feeling of the conversation went away. It was to be expected after all; they were still on the clock, they needed their heads in the game, and Eddie could shelve any potential baby thoughts until they were home.

“Alright, we can continue talking about having another kid some other time.”

Eddie felt giddy, like he did when during each new milestone with Buck, and couldn’t resist pulling Buck in for a quick kiss. It wasn’t anything scandalous, only lasting a few seconds, and when Eddie pulled away Buck melted against him. The alarm went off, sending them running to the locker room to get their gear, and soon they were on the truck, speeding to the call. Eddie swayed with the movement of the truck, Buck in front of him, and couldn’t help smiling. Maybe they’d have another kid, or maybe not, but now that it was in the open, Eddie could relax about it. Who knew what the future could hold for their little family?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 46 of quarantine, hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Leave a comment if you wish :)


	18. Chapter 18

**43\. Failure**

Buck knew it was coming, had known for months actually, and given his luck (which was absolute crap most days) Buck knew better than to think it wouldn’t happen. He and Maddie hadn’t attended the funeral. Didn’t send flowers, or a card, or anything. Instead, the day of the funeral, Buck had been whisked away to Bobby and Athena’s place after his shift, Chimney and Maddie showing up not long after, for an impromptu family dinner.

He appreciated it, especially the parts where he and Maddie weren’t left alone for too long, but was still given space throughout their time spent with the others. Eddie had been particularly clingy, asking him if he needed anything, and not pushing when Buck said no. Christopher had insisted on giving him extra cuddles when they returned home, which Buck wouldn’t ever refuse, and Eddie manhandled him in bed to be the little spoon that night.

They didn’t hear anymore from their mother. Athena had asked Buck, when she caught him alone in the kitchen, if she needed to use her police abilities and contact others on the force to be aware of his mother. Buck had denied that, not seeing the point of it, and it wasn’t as if their mother knew where they were anyway. She wouldn’t fly out to LA just to see them.

So, Buck was completely blind sighted when she actually appeared in his life one afternoon.

It was the end of his shift, one that seemed never ending with the back to back calls, and all Buck wanted was to fall into bed and sleep. Eddie would be home that evening, having picked up some extra hours to cover another firefighter, and Christopher was being picked up by Carla from school. Really, all that was separating Buck from his bed was the drive home and walking Argo.

“Evan.”

Buck froze. Suddenly, he was aware that he was alone in the parking lot. Buck turned his head, spotting his mother standing on the sidewalk that led to the back of the firehouse, coincidently placing herself between him and his jeep.

“What are you doing here?” Buck wouldn’t call her mom, not when she never did anything to earn that title, not when he could think of two other people that filled that role better and more often. “How did you even find me?”

“I’ve got my ways.” She snipped. “We need to talk.”

“I don’t think we do.” Buck never reached out to his mother following getting the news of his father’s passing. Maddie had handled it, which suited Buck just fine, since he had nothing left to say to the woman who was gone more often than she was present in his life.

“You didn’t show up at the funeral. I had to explain to everyone why my own children didn’t attend the service of their own father.”

“Couldn’t have been that big of a funeral considering dad didn’t have many friends.” Buck shifted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. “I don’t know why you thought we would come.”

“You are his children, my children, it was expected.”

“I expected you to be there for my entire childhood and life but you don’t see me pitching a fit here, do you?” He wasn’t sure how many school events she had missed, how many birthdays went by without a card or phone call, how many times Buck fudged her signature on school forms because his dad wouldn’t sign them or no one else was around. “You need to leave.”

“Are you still whining about that? I had to work, Evan, I don’t expect you to understand what that means.” Red, hot anger traveled through his veins.

“Whining? You count me calling you out on some fairly obvious child neglect whining?” Buck let out a dark laugh. “I just got off a 16-hour shift, saving lives like I do every day, but you are telling me I wouldn’t know what it’s like to work? Right, I can’t possibly understand that in my pea size brain.”

“I am going to need you to drop the attitude, Evan, we need to have a serious conversation. Call Madeline, I’ve only got a small window of time to talk, so we need to get going.”

Buck stared at her, incredulous, before shaking his head. Screw it, he could catch a quick nap in the bunch room and then follow Eddie home when he was done. Argo would like a longer walk in the evening anyway. Turning on his heel, Buck started walking back inside, fuming when he heard footsteps following him. He walked by Hen, who frowned when she saw him enter the bay area, and her expression soured when she caught sight of his mother.

“Everything okay, Buckaroo?” Hen eyed the woman, who was dressed to the nines and clearly looked out of place in the fire station, and was currently glaring daggers into Buck’s back.

“Yep. I think I’ll wait around until Eddie’s finished. Is Athena on shift today?”

“I think so, need me to call her?”

“Running away from me, honestly Evan, you’re too old for these games.” Her lip curled when Hen stepped forward, blocking her path, and Buck dropped his bag off to the side.

“I’m telling you this one more time. You need to leave, before I call Athena, who I know would love to be the one to escort you off the property.” Buck could hear his voice, cold and firm, and didn’t feel any of that strength internally.

“Is there a problem here?” Bobby’s voice was the best sound Buck had heard all day. “Buck?”

“My mom decided to come for a visit, which is over now, and she was just leaving. Right mom?” Buck knew his tone of voice was wrong, he never sounded that cold and short to anyone, and Bobby stepped forward, subtly placing Buck behind him.

“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“And you are?”

“Captain Nash. This is my firehouse, Buck is my firefighter, and I am informing you that you need to leave the premise if you don’t have an emergency situation to report.”

There seemed to be a silent standoff going on, and while that was happening, Buck spotted Eddie and Chimney from the balcony. Buck shook his head, not wanting them to come down right now, before returning his attention to the scene in front of him.

“I thought you were done disappointing me Evan. Lord knows you did it enough when you were a child.” She thought her insult would land; had she come back into his life a few years prior, it probably would have. Now though, Buck knew he had people in his corner, knew that he didn’t need her in his life.

“That implies that you were around enough when I was a kid to see that I disappointed you.” Buck saw her minute wince, feeling a sick sense of pride, and crossed his arms. “I don’t want to see you, neither does Maddie, in case you forgot her message about us not wanting to talk to you.”

“I’m your mother.” And there came the waterworks. Buck wasn’t affected; the therapy sessions must be working, as his brain quietly connected the dots as a manipulation technique, recognizing this as one his mom had used for years on him.

“No, you’re not.” Buck kept his words even and didn’t flinch away from making eye contact. “Last chance to leave before getting escorted out.”

“I just want to talk to you. You and Madeline.” She begged as a last attempt. Hen hadn’t moved from her position and Buck knew that she could move the woman out of the building all on her own.

“You can want a lot of things. That doesn’t mean you’re going to get it.” Buck said. “We’re done here.”

That seemed to be the magic word, Bobby moving forward to usher his mother out of the station, while Hen linked their arms together and walked him up the stairs. Eddie was on him before he hit the last step, wrapping his arms around his middle, cussing softly in Spanish. Buck couldn’t tell if it was because he was that angry or if Eddie was doing it to get Buck to smile a little.

“I gave Maddie a heads up.” Chimney looked tense as he held his phone. “Guess she wasn’t kidding when she said your mom was a piece of work.”

“She’ll be gone by the morning.” Buck noticed Bobby coming up the stairs, face tense, and didn’t fight back as Bobby reached out to grasp his neck.

“If she ever approaches you again, you tell me. I made sure Athena is aware of this, too.” Buck agreed to it, knowing Bobby wouldn’t let up otherwise, and to be honest, Buck was fine with it. Bobby might joke that he saw Buck as his kid, but he always showed up when needed, something that put him miles ahead of his own parents.

“I’m gonna hang out around here for a bit, that okay?” Buck promised himself he would take Argo for an extra-long walk later, Christopher could come along; they had been working on letting him hold the leash for brief periods of time when Argo was calm, to build both of their confidences. Mainly, he didn't want to leave and risk being followed back to their home.

“More than okay. I need an extra set of hands to get lunch started anyway.” Bobby pointed to Chimney and Eddie. “Can’t exactly rely on these two for help in the kitchen.”

“They would be the ones to start a fire in a firehouse.” Hen teased. Buck laughed, a genuine one this time, as he followed Bobby over to the counter.

As Chimney ramped up to defend his subpar cooking skills, Hen beginning to list off each failed or botched attempt, Eddie walked over. He didn’t say much, letting Bobby do the talking, and Buck knew he was acting as some sort of guard dog against an invisible threat. Buck knew he would have to talk about what happened at some point. For now, he enjoyed being surrounded by his family, not feeling guilty in the slightest that he had effectively shut and locked the door on his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 47 of quarantine. Hope everyone is doing alright and keeping healthy. Also, tonight's episode is going to be rough... 
> 
> Leave a comment if you want to, I love hearing for you peeps! :)


	19. Chapter 19

**79\. Add**

Denny wanted to be a big brother.

He figured it had to be cool, since Maya in his class just became a big sister last week, and May was awesome when she came over to babysit and she was a big sister to Harry. All Denny wanted was to be a big brother. He figured that being a big brother would be a little harder than having a dog; his moms weren’t thrilled with having a pet, so he took his chances when he first asked. Denny had had a goldfish for an entire month, which was basically forever, so that just proved he would be a good big brother to his future sibling.

Deciding to see if he could get any of the other adults on his side, Denny waited until he was being dropped off at Bobby and Athena’s house one afternoon. Mom had to work the whole day, and Mommy was going away for a conference, so Denny was sleeping over. It was a fun night. He and Harry played on the PlayStation until dinner. Bobby let them help out when making the meal, instructing them on what to do, and praising them when they got it right. Harry begged to hear stories about Bobby’s firefighter work, and Denny joined in, knowing that his Mom didn’t often talk about work at home.

May got home just before dinner was served, Athena coming in behind her, and they all sat down to eat together. Denny liked coming over when both his parents were gone. It didn’t happen often but sometimes he had to spend time with someone else. Idly, Denny wondered if he could ask Christopher next time he saw him if the other boy also wanted to be a big brother.

“Hey, May, can I ask you something?” Denny liked May’s room. It had a giant bean bag chair, which was a new purchase so he had been told, and it was fluffy.

“Sure.” May put her phone down and spun her desk chair around so she could face him fully. “What’s up?”

“I want to be a big brother.” May looked puzzled for a moment, then confused, and then she smiled. She laughed lightly before getting up and coming over to sit down on the carpet next to Denny. She never seemed mad that Denny liked to hang out in her room during the times he came over; Harry had chores to do at home, which were boring, and May was nice.

“That’s a pretty big want, Denny.” May said. “What made you think of it?”

“Maya has a new baby sister and she was telling everyone about how neat it is to be a big sister.” Denny had been jealous during share and tell when Maya talked. About how she got a special t-shirt that said “I’m a big sister!”, and how she got to go to the hospital and hold the baby in a giant rocking chair, and how she went to Build a Bear and made a stuffed animal for her new sibling.

“Okay,” May prompted him to continue. “Seems like Maya is having a lot of fun with her new sister.”

“Christopher doesn’t have any siblings. Harry is your little brother. You’re his big sister.” Denny tangled his hands in a few strands of fur from the bean bag chair. “I want to be a big brother, so I have to talk to a big sister or a big brother. So that I can ask my mom’s.”

Denny knew that his moms had wanted another kid for longer than they were aware. He was a little mad that they wanted a baby over a dog, but the more he thought about it, the more fun it sounded. He could have someone else to play with on the game console. He could finally play tag at home and not just at school. He could tell his classmates about being a big brother during show and tell.

“Denny, I’m very flattered that you think that I’ll have all the answers to this- “

“You do!” Denny interrupted. “You’re Harry’s big sister, and he talks about you lots, and I had to ask someone that knew how to do it.”

“I didn’t have anyone to teach me at first, you know.” May revealed. Denny frowned.

That couldn’t be right. May knew which peanut butter Harry liked best. She picked him up from soccer practice. May even played games with him after he annoyed her all day!

“Then how did you get so good at it?”

“Lots of practice. I was about your age when Harry was born. At first, I didn’t even like him. He cried a lot, which made me mad, and I even told Mom once that we should send him back.”

“Really?” Denny asked, face surprised, and May nodded solemnly.

“I love Harry, Denny, and being his sister is awesome. I didn’t understand how important a role being a big sister was until I got older. It’s a huge responsibility and it’s also a decision made by your parents.”

“My parents don’t even let me have a dog. Just a goldfish.”

“It’s a lot easier to take care of a goldfish than a baby, isn’t it?” May teased. “You just have to change the water and feed it once a day. Babies need a lot more care, especially since they don’t talk in the beginning, and you can’t play with them like Harry right away.” Denny hadn’t thought about that. He just figured they could play with his toys until the baby got its own. May wrapped her arm around him and pulled him into a side hug. Denny snuggled in, thinking, before asking another question.

“What happens if I ask my moms and they say no?”

“Then you explain to them why you want a baby sister or brother.” May said honestly. “They’ll understand, Denny, I know they will. Just talk to them.”

That was as far as they got, before Harry barged in, demanding that Denny come play with him. Denny let thoughts of a new sibling and being a big brother go for the rest of the night. He didn’t even mention it when he was picked up the following morning. His mom looked tired, changed out of her work uniform, and she gave him a big hug when she saw him. Denny could tell that she needed an extra hug, so he squeezed her neck tight and gave her lots of kisses.

“Did you have fun, Denny?” Mom asked as she started the car. Denny nodded.

“Yeah!” Denny started to list off all the activities he had done, his Mom asking him questions here and there, before Denny paused. Denny caught her looking at him from the mirror.

“Something wrong, baby?”

“I talked to May. I had a question for her.”

“Oh? What was the question?” Denny bit his lip, wondering if he should wait until both his parents were there, but Mommy wouldn’t be home until that night, and Denny couldn’t wait that long. Besides, if she told him no, then he wouldn’t have to hear if from both parents.

“I asked May how to be a big brother, because she’s a big sister, and I wanted to know how to do it right.”

“How to be a big brother?” Mom asked to confirm. Her face looked weird. “Why the sudden interest in being a big brother, Den?”

Maybe he should have tried practicing on the other adults first. Like Athena or Buck.

“I want a baby, Mom. I want to be a big brother.” Denny fidgeted with the car seat straps. “I can do it, I’ll be the best big brother ever, Mom.”

Mom didn’t say anything, not until they were pulling into their street, and the car was turned off. Mom got out and came around to open his door. She unbuckled him, but instead of helping him down onto the ground, she kept him in her lap.

“You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?” Mom asked him gently. Denny nodded, shyly, trying to gauge if he was in trouble or if he had made his Mom sad. “Denny, look at me for a second.” Denny lifted his head, relaxing as he saw his Mom looking down softly at him, and gave him a quick hug before kissing his nose. “Denny, Mommy and I have been talking about brining another baby into the house for a while now, too. We weren’t sure when to talk to you about it and it looks like you were doing your own work while we worried.” Mom told him. Denny grinned.

“So, I’m going to be a big brother?” Denny shouted in excitement. Mom laughed, finally getting them out of the car, keeping one hand under Denny to hold him, the other grabbing his bag. “For real?”

“For real. You’ll be a big brother, Denny.”

“I’m gonna be the best big brother ever!” Mom smiled brightly at him and kissed his cheek.

“I have no doubt you will, baby, you’re going to be the best big brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 49 of quarantine...also I'm still attempting to contain my emotions from this weeks episode. Leave a comment if you wish :)


	20. Chapter 20

**9\. Swap**

When the alarm went off in their bedroom, Eddie groaned, arm flopping around to turn it off. He used his other hand to pat the space where he thought Buck’s shoulder was. Buck, for his part, grumbled and tried to burrow further under the covers.

“Buck, we gotta get up.” Eddie mumbled. He heard the familiar sound of Christopher’s crutches coming down the hall, and seconds later, the bedroom door opened as his son walked in. Christopher, still dressed in his pajamas and curly hair a mess, quickly made his way to Eddie’s side of the bed.

“Morning, Dad!” Christopher was too chipper for it being before seven o’clock in the morning. “Morning, Buck!”

“Hey, bud,” Eddie greeted. Christopher heaved himself onto the bed, limbs moving all of the place as Eddie tried to keep his son on the bed and not get hit in the face, before settling between the adults. “Why are you up so early?”

“It’s Swap Day!” Christopher cheered.

Swap Day, name coined by Chimney, had been started over a year ago. In an effort to let Christopher gain some independence from his parents, bond with the other adults in their little family, and give Eddie and Buck some alone time, they started setting one day a month aside for Christopher to go off with Chimney and Maddie. When Phoebe was born, Swap Day was placed on hold, until she was stronger and the new parents were okay being apart from her longer than five minutes. Chimney and Maddie loved spending time with Christopher and Eddie and Buck loved spending time with Phoebe. It was a win-win for everyone. Christopher, clearly unimpressed with the speed his parents were moving at in their sleep deprived state, began to pester them until they were getting out of bed.

“Buck, we need pancakes.”

“Manners, Christopher.” Eddie scolded lightly. He could deal with excitement, but rudeness wouldn’t be tolerated. Christopher took it with grace and corrected himself.

“I’ll get the pancakes started if you got the coffee covered?” Buck asked, jaw cracking as he yawned, and Eddie nodded.

Breakfast was a simple affair, borne out of many other familiar occasions, so neither of them had to think much on it. After the meal was done, Eddie hustled his boys off to get ready; they were meeting at Chim and Maddie’s place this time, and he didn’t want to be late. Christopher was ready before they were, backpack sitting beside him, grin plastered on his face.

“What are you guys going to do today, Chris?” Buck helped Christopher as he put on his shoes, smiling when Chris completed the task, and then slipped on his own sneakers.

“We’re going to the museum!” Christopher had been on a giant history kick lately, watching numerous documentaries and videos on the subject, so Eddie wasn’t surprised. The local museum had a couple new exhibits which would likely be a hit.

“You’ll have to take loads of pictures and tell us all about it.”

Traffic wasn’t terrible and they made it to their destination with ten minutes to spar. Helping Christopher down from the truck, the trio walked up the door, Chimney opening it before they could even knock.

“Good morning, Buckley-Diaz crew!” Chimney filed them in, accepting Christopher’s hug, and smiling at his friends. “The girls are almost ready to go.”

Eddie led Christopher over to the living room, the little boy getting comfortable, as Maddie came down the stairs with her daughter in her arms. Phoebe was alert and babbling happily. It was always a sight to see, the youngest of their group thriving, especially when they all spent so much time wondering if she would ever see anything other than the NICU walls.

“Maddie!” Christopher held his arms out for Phoebe and Maddie sat down next to him. By this point, Christopher was familiar with how to place his arms, and Eddie supervised, letting Maddie keep her hands close for extra support.

“Morning, guys, are you excited Chris?” As Maddie and Chris talked, Chimney and Buck walked into the room. Buck had the familiar diaper bag slung over his shoulder.

“Everything you need is in there, we restocked since last time, as well as her favorite teething toy.” Chimney listed off. “She’s been great so far, and you’ll probably need to feed her in a couple hours or so.”

“No worries. We still have some extra formula at our place, you’re still making it the same way, right?” Buck asked. After Phoebe was born, Buck had basically stocked their home with anything she might need. It saved time and space for the new parents, especially when they needed a babysitter, and cut out any extra stress of lugging things between homes.

“Yep!” Maddie said. Phoebe squirmed when Christopher passed her back to her mom, settling after a few seconds, and then perked up when she saw her dad. After letting the parents say goodbye, Phoebe was strapped into her car seat and everyone was off.

Eddie drove, Buck in the backseat in order to keep Phoebe calm on the drive back, both of them listening to Phoebe’s coos and noises. Christopher might be having an action-packed day, Eddie knew they would be mostly homebound, maybe going for a walk to the nearby park when Argo needed some exercise. As Buck got Phoebe out of the car seat, Eddie got the playpen out from the closet and set it up. Argo followed him, sniffing the cloth material on the pen, tail wagging. When Eddie turned around, Buck had Phoebe on his hip, making her squeal in delight as he blew raspberries onto her neck. His husband was utterly enamored by his niece; the little girl couldn’t even talk yet and she already had Buck turning into putty.

“Should we go bug Eddie, Phoeb’s?” Eddie walked over, had going out to brush the light hair on Phoebe’s head, and easily took her into his arms when she reached out for him.

“Nope! Us two are a team, right, Phoebe?” Eddie didn’t use a baby voice, neither did Buck, but they did drop their voices into a softer tone. Eddie had used it for Christopher when he was a toddler and occasionally now when his son was upset or scared.

They ended up playing some riveting games of peek-a-boo with Phoebe on the couch. Tummy time was done with Phoebe trying to lift her head up from Buck’s chest, Eddie recording it and holding up one of the stuffed animals crammed into the diaper bag, before sending it off to Chimney.

“So close, Phoebe girl, you’re so close!” Buck praised.

Phoebe started to get fussy a little while after that, prompting a diaper change and signaling the need for a bottle. Eddie held the baby as Buck prepared the formula; Buck narrated the steps, Eddie bouncing Phoebe in his arms as they waited, and Phoebe watching her uncle with brown eyes. After Phoebe finished off her bottle, basically woofing it down to Eddie and Buck’s surprise, she began to get sleepy. Eddie cleaned up while Buck rocked her to sleep, taking up a short walking circuit in the living room, before Phoebe’s eyes slipped shut.

“Should we put her down in the playpen?” Buck whispered. “Or set her up like we did last time?”

“Playpen. I think Chimney mentioned she started to roll more and I don’t want her to risk rolling over the pillows and onto the floor.” Eddie watched as Buck gently, and carefully, lowered Phoebe onto the playpen cushion. The little girl didn’t stir and the men breathed a sigh of relief. They spent the next hour watching Netflix on the lowest volume setting and enjoying the pictures Christopher had been sending them. Argo didn’t join them on the couch, taking up her usual spot next to the playpen; the lab had started doing that after the first time they babysat, not liking to be kept apart from Phoebe, especially when she cried.

The group ended up going on a walk, Buck shamelessly donning the baby sling, letting Eddie hold Argo’s leash. It was a nice day out, not terribly hot, so they purchased some iced coffee from a local vendor and enjoyed the sunshine. Once the walk was done, and everyone was slightly hungry and tired, they walked back home. Lunch consisted of Eddie and Phoebe entertaining themselves by banging some pots and pans together while Buck cooked. By that point, Phoebe had noticed Argo, and Eddie carefully supervised and guided Phoebe’s little hands as she felt the fur.

“Do you think they would notice if we didn’t give her back when he picked Christopher up?” Buck wondered aloud. Eddie laughed. Chimney and Maddie would definitely notice, having a second sense about their baby girl, and Eddie didn’t want to come in between the two when their parent skills went off.

“I think they would notice if we didn’t give back their baby, Buck.” Eddie said.

When it was time to load everything back up, Phoebe was passed out in her carrier, sleeping through the drive back home. Christopher was all smiles, backpack slung on his shoulders, and holding a plastic bag with the museum giftshop logo plastered on it. After both sets of parents giving the rundown, they said their goodbyes, leaving to return to their homes to start dinner and relax for the rest of the night. Christopher detailed every moment of his day, Eddie and Buck dutifully commenting and asking questions, and expressing the right amount of excitement when Christopher unveiled his new picture book. Christopher conked out quickly after bath time, tired out from his fun day out, and already planning out the next Swap Day.


	21. Chapter 21

**11\. Name**

Chimney didn’t think that picking out a name for his future child would be this difficult. Honestly, Chimney thought that it would go pretty smooth. Talk with Maddie, find a name, done deal. All that was left was to wait for their kid to make their debut into the world.

Until the pair actually began to talk about it.

First, they needed to select two different names for a boy and a girl. They hadn’t wanted to find out the sex of the baby at the last ultrasound, wanting the surprise, so that meant they needed twice the ideas. Which left Maddie and Chimney frowning down at their shared piece of paper, puzzled, and more than a little frustrated.

First off, did they pick two separate names or go for a gender neutral one?

Did they pick a name that was traditional or more edgy?

One from their own families or something entirely new?

Chimney knew that Maddie wouldn’t mind having their child bare a name from his side of the family, but it felt wrong for only him to use his child to honor someone he cared for. Of course, that meant they needed to have an uncomfortable discussion about Maddie’s family relatives, many of which were either estranged or dead, and none of them had a name Maddie wanted anywhere near the baby. They eventually came to the consensus that Chimney could pick out a name from his family and use it as a middle name. Which was great and all, until they still needed to address the first name issue, and they were back at square one.

So, the two began to list out names. It felt endless; each time they got close, they ran into a problem.

“We can’t use Genevieve, she’ll be a teenager before she can spell it.” Chimney argued.

“And Sebastian isn’t just as long?” Maddie fired back.

Some names couldn’t be selected because they both associated people they either didn’t like or didn’t wish to have share the name of their kid.

“We can’t use Laura. She made fun of me throughout middle school for my hair.”

“Justin is out, too. He was a bully on the football team.”

It got bad enough that Chimney went out and bought a baby name book. Which fell out of his work bag as he shuffled his things around in an attempt to get ready before a shift. Hen picked it up from the floor, quirking an eyebrow, before tossing it back to Chimney.

“Resorting to the good old-fashioned baby book?” She teased. Chimney sighed.

“We’ve been at it for weeks, Hen, and all we’ve agreed on is a middle name.” With a groan, he sat down on the bench next to Hen and dropped his head to her shoulder. “At this rate, our kid is going to known only by their last name.”

“It takes everyone a while to figure out a name.” Hen reassured. “It’ll come to you.” Chimney appreciated her comforting him, and while she had every confidence that Maddie and he would figure it out, Chim was getting a bit frantic. Maddie was almost seven months pregnant and the approaching due date seemed to be looming over them. Everyone else seemed to notice his stress levels and did their best to help out.

Eddie sent him up to the loft so that he Chim could breathe for a few moments and helped Hen restock the medical supplies. Buck took over his cooking duties one week and sent him home with some leftovers because Maddie had been on a taco kick and Chimney couldn’t eat another form of taco without wanting to scream. Bobby was working with him to ensure that Chimney could take a couple of weeks off after the baby was born, to help Maddie out and bond with his kid, and always ensured that he had enough time to go to and from every doctor’s appointment.

“I need name suggestions!” Chimney cried out one morning as he stomped into the locker room. Eddie and Buck looked up, clearly in the middle of a conversation, before Eddie laughed at the expression on Chimney’s face.

“Still having trouble with that?” Eddie asked as he finished typing his boots. Chimney dropped his bag on the ground in front of his locker.

“You have a kid, Eddie, help me out here.”

“I don’t know, man, Shannon and I just found Christopher’s name by accident. We saw, said it out loud, and that was that. It sounded right.” Eddie explained. He didn’t seem off put by talking about Shannon, didn’t get that boxed in look that normally accompanied bringing up his late wife. Chimney swung his eyes to his brother-in-law. Buck was leaning against the wall and he held up his hands.

“Don’t look at me, Chim, I don’t have any experience in naming a kid.”

“You must have some factoids of picking out a name floating around in your brain.”

“What, like name meanings?”

“No, the statistics of how picking a name correlates to children’s success.” Buck looked contemplative, and Chimney wouldn’t put it past him to know that, and Chimney shook his head. “Never mind, come on, you have to know a name that Maddie loves.” Buck shrugged helplessly.

“Sorry, Chim, I can’t help you with that.” They didn’t get much longer to talk about it before the alarm sounded, rushing them into their gear, and flying out of the station on the firetruck. Chimney asked around a bit more, finally going to Bobby, who suggested a unique approach.

“Seriously?” Chimney asked. Bobby smiled as he finished loading the dishwasher.

“It sounds weird, I know, but it works.” Bobby straightened up. “Look, Chim, you’re going to using the name a lot, it has to sound right. So, pick a name you both enjoy, go outside, and shout it out ten times. If it still sounds right to your ears after all of that, then you have it.” So, Chimney thanked him, and went home to his pregnant wife.

Maddie was skeptical of it, but decided to try it out, not that they had anything to lose. Except, maybe, the respect of their neighbors for disturbing the quiet. Four days later, they had two sets of names, one boy and one girl, and they moved out onto the back porch.

“Should we call it out together or separately?” Chimney wondered. Maddie adjusted herself on the patio chair.

“Together.” Maddie rubbed her hand against the side of her belly. “Hold on, baby, we’re getting your name sorted out, I promise.”

“Maybe we should have gotten the gender,” Chimney had initially wanted the surprise, the thrill of wondering, and was only now beginning to regret that choice. Maddie flicked his forehead as he walked over to place his hand over hers.

“No, we agreed to wait until the due date. We’re going to figure this out, Howie.” Maddie smirked. “Now, let’s start screaming these names out.”

The name they picked out for their hypothetical baby boy didn’t flow right. The girl name, however, sounded right. Looking at one another, Maddie took his hands and guided him to the spot where the baby was kicking away, and gave him a watery smile. The pregnancy hormones hadn’t let up at all and often had Maddie crying at anything at the drop of a hat.

“Did we just figure out the name for our hypothetical baby girl?” Chimney asked. Maddie nodded, accepting the kiss Chimney offered, and used a hand to brush her tears away.

“I don’t think it’s so hypothetical.” Maddie said. “I’ve got a feeling that this baby is a girl.”

“Really? A little girl?” Chimney would be excited either way. He just couldn’t wait to hold his kid, the perfect mix of Maddie and him, and show them off to their family and friends.

“I think so.” Maddie held her hands out and Chimney helped her up from the chair. “Just a mother’s intuition or something like that.”

Chimney didn’t argue with her, thrilled and excited that they finally had a name.


	22. Chapter 22

**6 Cheap**

Buck could admit that that most of their friends would peg him as the one that would go all out on Valentine’s Day. He had done grand gestures in the past, such as the hot air balloon ride, but he liked to think that those sorts of things didn’t have to be contained to one specific day. Especially one that was so commercialized.

“It’s a gimmick,” Buck ranted as he and Eddie walked into the station. “Overpriced candy, that isn’t even good candy, stupid cards, and those creepy bears holding teddy bears.”

“You like the flower aspect,” Eddie pointed out. Buck rolled his eyes.

“Flowers are good anytime. But everything is commercialized, and over sexualized, and I don’t need all these companies trying to sell me cherry flavored body paste!” Buck said.

“Flavored what?” Bobby asked as the pair finally noticed the Captain near the foot of the stairs. Buck threw up his hands and marched into the locker room. Bobby turned to Eddie. “Do I even want to know?”

“Buck hates Valentine’s Day,” Eddie left it at that and followed his best friend into the locker room. Buck had already changed, eager to get to work, despite the fact that he had finished a 24-hour the previous day. “So, is this you telling me you don’t want to do anything fancy for Valentine’s day this weekend?” Eddie hedged.

Occasionally, Eddie noticed that certain dates or events annoyed Buck more than normal, and he didn’t want them to go through it if that was reaction it would cause.

“Would you be mad if I said yes?” Buck asked. Eddie knew that Buck would likely put himself through it if he thought Eddie wanted it, something that they were working on, so Eddie made sure to convey that there were no obligations for Buck to agree.

“No. I think we can let Chris bring the excitement of the holiday. He’ll have enough class treats to cover all three of us.”

“He’s doing to Spiderman ones, right?” Buck had gone with Chris to the store to pick out the Valentine’s Day cards for his classmates. The boy hadn’t been able to decide, split between Spiderman and Scooby Doo, so he used his charm and convinced Buck to get both.

“Yes, I think Carla is helping him sign them all.” Eddie was totally fine with that. After being told by his kid that he was using the wrong color marker, and then that his handwriting was smudging the ink, Eddie was relieved of his duties.

“They’ll both have fun,” Buck leaned against his closed locker door and waited for Eddie to get ready. “I don’t mind doing something if you want to celebrate it.”

“I only want to celebrate the holiday if you genuinely want to. That said, if you change your mind, or want to do little things associated with the holiday, then that works too.”

“Can I think on it?”

“Sure, whatever you want.”

Chimney didn’t seem to find the logic in not celebrating and had been detailing his weekend plans with Maddie throughout their shift. Eddie suffered through it, jumping up at every chance to complete a task or chore, leaving the other three to Chimney’s endless declarations of love.

“Chim, we all love you man, but if I have to hear about your plans with my sister one more time, I’ll make it so you won’t have another Valentine’s Day to talk about.” Buck was sprawled out on the couch, Hen beside him, and she tipped her head in agreement.

“I second that. You haven’t even asked us about our own plans, which is rude, Chim.” Hen said.

“Oh, bad move, Hen,” Eddie warned. Chimney spun his head to look at him and Eddie briefly contemplated if he could make it to the stairs in time. He might have to jump over the couch, which wouldn’t be difficult, considering the work he normally did.

“Fine. Let’s have some share and tell then. Eddie, what are your plans with our Buckaroo?”

“Well,” Eddie scratched the back of his head. “We didn’t really plan anything. Probably a movie night with Christopher, maybe order in from our favorite place, that’s it.” Chimney stared at him, blinked, then focused his gaze on Buck.

“And you agreed to this?”

“I’m the one that didn’t want to do anything big, Chim, besides the whole holiday is a scam.”

“It is not!” Chimney cried. Bobby sighed, shaking his head, before moving away to the kitchen. Hen rolled her eyes and came over to join Eddie.

“It is, too! Why do you need one day a year to show you care? What have you done the other 364?”

“Seriously, is that all you guys are doing?” Hen asked as they watched Chimney and Buck get into it.

“Yep. I might get flowers, and I’m pretty sure Buck and Chris made me a card, so that’s about it. Buck isn’t really a big fan of Valentine’s Day, neither am I, which works for us.” Eddie explained. He was totally getting Buck flowers, and a card for Christopher, maybe even asking Abuela to bake something simple for them.

“That sounds nice.” Hen smiled. “Karen and I are going out to dinner. Her parents are watching the kids so we get a whole night to ourselves.”

“I am telling Maddie that you are a fool that says white chocolate is the worst type of chocolate there is!” Chimney shouted, waving his phone in Buck’s face, while Buck struggled not to smirk.

“Go ahead, she’ll agree with me, hope you didn’t already buy the chocolate box.” Judging from Chim’s expression, he had, and Eddie hoped that he could exchange it.

“You have too much fun winding him up,” Hen said, pretending to scold him, and Buck finally gave into the smile he had been fighting earlier.

“He makes it too easy.” Buck looked back, noticing Chimney at the other end of the loft furiously texting Maddie, and leaned in to whisper, “How mad do you think he’ll be when he finds out that I lied?”

“Buck! You liar!” Chimney cried. The smaller man ran over to Buck, who circled around to hide behind Eddie, and then sprinted down the steps, Chimney following closely.

“Should we help him?” Bobby finally asked.

“Nah, Buck can handle him,” Hen waved off his concerns and returned to her spot on the couch. Bobby looked at Eddie, who shrugged, and he signed.

“I’ll go check on them. I’d rather we didn’t have to clean up a murder scene.” Bobby descended down the steps to go find out where his two firefighters had gone.

“Sure you aren’t concerned for your boo?” Hen teased. Eddie chuckled.

“Nah, Buck can handle it. Chim can’t seriously maim him without Maddie coming for his head.” Hen nodded at that, fully aware that Maddie and Buck were protective over each other, and Maddie was 5’4 of pure terror when mad.

“What did I miss?” Buck plopped down next to Eddie, who shifted to let them sit closer, both of them ignoring Hen’s knowing look.

“Nothing major. Chimney still alive?”

“Yep! He’s currently stress organizing the supply closet because he panicked and bough two more chocolate boxes for Maddie.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad,” Eddie started to say before Buck cut him off.

“Maddie likes white chocolate and there’s a no return policy.”

Eddie ended up getting the flowers, a simple bundle that Buck happily displayed on the kitchen table, while Chris insisted that the homemade cards they exchanged be set up next to the vase. The Spiderman cards were a hit with Christopher’s class, which left the Scooby Doo ones to be put away for next year, and all the candy was set aside for later. They didn’t go out for a fancy dinner, instead ordering from their favorite Indian place, shamelessly stealing bites of each other’s food in between conversations. Christopher picked out their movie, snuggled in the middle, and was all smiles.

Abuela sent them over a Tres Leche cake, which would likely be gone by Sunday evening, as her cooking was always a hit with him and his boys. Christopher went to bed not long after that, asking for them all to cuddle during story time, and he managed to get Buck to read two books before Eddie played the stern parent card and called it bedtime. Once Chris was settled, Eddie tidied up the kitchen, waiting for Buck to get back from the bedroom after changing. He leaned into the chest pressed against his back as he closed the fridge.

“Thanks for a good evening in,” Buck said. Eddie smiled, turning his head to gently peck Buck’s lips, and dragged him over to the couch.

“You’re welcome. This was a pretty successful non-holiday celebration if I do think so.” Eddie couldn’t resist teasing his boyfriend a little. “No weird calls to respond to and no emergency medical procedures due to a piece of bread.”

“That was one time!” Buck groaned, covering his face, but allowed Eddie to tug his hands down so they could kiss. Eddie could get behind these laid-back Valentine’s Day plans.


	23. Chapter 23

**60\. Blonde**

Buck wasn’t new to people assuming things about him. He’d be the first to admit that the first year of him at the station had been a clusterfuck, despite the others pointing out that he had changed and grown as person, there were some instances that he would rather forget. One of the most annoying aspects of this was people assuming that he was just some adrenaline junkie that didn’t have a reasonable thought in his head.

Buck liked learning, enjoyed scoping out new facts, and sharing them with the team even if they were exasperated at times. He’d always been like this; finding a topic and running with it, recalling memories of a younger him lugging armfuls of books from the local library, or spending late nights staying up typing things into the Google search bar. His search history was probably the oddest conglomeration of random things and he was glad the phone was password protected.

But, every so often, a snide remark or a harmless joke would be thrown his way, and Buck would pull back slightly.

He knew that he could get a tad annoying with the endless facts, or that sometimes he jumped into things without thinking, so Buck brushed it off and hid how those slights hurt him. Comments on how Maddie must have done his college essays, despite the fact that Maddie had been gone over a year at that point, had him biting his tongue about how he got into all his top picks with decent scholarships. He didn’t talk about how he knew Spanish fluently from his time in South America, because not only was it fun to listen to Eddie rant in a language he thought Buck didn’t know, but he recalled when he was teased that he couldn’t focus long enough to learn something so complicated.

There were other things he kept under wraps; Buck knew finances pretty well, considering he started learning when he was a teenager, and he often helped May and Christopher with their math homework. Going to the museum was a favorite pastime of his, often taking Christopher along, and the two of them enjoyed the interactive exhibits the most. “Did you know” had become a catch phrase of his, usually coming out of his mouth in the beginnings of a shift, or sometimes over texts late at night.

Those primarily went to Eddie, who insisted that he be messaged when Buck couldn’t sleep, and Buck tried to not take advantage of it. Which is why he didn’t understand why he was getting so many weird looks one morning when he walked into the station loft.

“How’s is going, Buckaroo?” Chimney asked as he sipped his coffee. Buck, who was instantly suspicious, inched towards the coffee pot.

“Fine,” He said, carefully making his coffee, before turning to sit at the table. Chimney followed him, staring him down, and Buck shifted in his seat. “Something wrong, Chim?”

“I had dinner last night with Maddie.”

“Okay?” Maddie hadn’t mentioned anything amiss, and Chimney hadn’t been waxing poetic in the group chat, so it didn’t appear to be a relationship problem. “She and I were talking and I mentioned to her that the local health clinic is looking for volunteers. I said that she might like it, since she has a medical background with nursing, and then she also mentioned that you haven’t touch your degree either since moving here.”

Buck internally swore; he knew that talking to Maddie about his undergrad degree was a bad idea. Granted, he wasn’t sure what he would have gone on to do with his business degree, but he liked the math aspect, and communication was always easy and came naturally to him.

“She’ll enjoy the clinic, I know she probably misses some aspects of the job,” Buck deflected. Chimney stared at him and Buck fought back the urge to fidget. “What?”

“You aren’t going to tell me more about the degree?”

“It’s not a big deal.” Buck got up, figuring he could use this time to get a workout in, and to his displeasure Chimney followed him.

“You know, I asked Bobby, he mentioned that it wasn’t on your resume.” Chimney sat down on the bench, crossed his ankles and took a long sip of his drink. “A business major, though, I wouldn’t have thought you could manage that.”

The comment wasn’t meant to hurt, Buck knew that, but it still stung. He quickly got changed into his workout gear and headed into the gym, jamming his headphones in, and jumping on the treadmill. Chimney took the hint and left him alone. Eddie had no such qualms and joined him on the machine set up on the side. Buck waved to him and then returned to his workout; Eddie gave him space, didn’t force him to talk, and followed him back to the locker room when Buck was done.

“Did you sleep last night?” Eddie asked. Buck paused as he slipped a clean work shirt on.

“Yes,” He answered. “Why the sudden interest in my sleep habits?”

“You get quiet when it’s been a bad night and you didn’t text.” Eddie pointed out. “How bought breakfast? Did you eat?”

“I ate, Eddie. I’m fine.”

“Really? Because Chimney mentioned that you were in a mood and-“

“I’m not in a mood.” Buck cut him off. “Maddie just told him something I wish she hadn’t, that’s all.” Eddie looked skeptical. “Eddie, I’m okay, I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Alright,” Eddie replied slowly, frowning at him, before closing his locker. “Christopher wants you to come over for movie night, if you’re game?”

“I’m always game to spend time with my favorite Diaz.”

“Rude.”

Buck wasn’t sure if Eddie headed Chimney off, but the other man didn’t make a mention of his degree for the remainder of their shift, not that he would have been able to; after that first call, it had been nonstop. Buck followed Eddie back to his place, greeting Christopher at the door, accepting his hug with ease. They ordered pizza, watched Tangled, and Buck cleaned up while Eddie put Chris to bed. Normally, Buck would stay after Christopher went to sleep, chatting with Eddie or finding an adult movie, but he was slated for a seven am shift and Buck was tired.

“Out like a light,” Eddie reported as he came into the kitchen. “You didn’t have to clean up, Buck.”

“I don’t mind,” Buck brushed it off. “I should get going, early morning shift and all that.”

“Actually, stay for a minute, I wanted to talk to you about something.” That sentence never boded well for him. It meant trouble, meant he had done something wrong, and he never wanted to hear that phrase come from Eddie. He allowed himself to be manhandled down into a chair, Eddie sitting down next to him, and Buck waited for Eddie to start talking.

“Did I do something?” Buck finally asked, unable to stand the silence, and Eddie looked puzzled.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong, Buck. I talked to Chimney, I wanted to know what happened earlier this morning, and he told me what you two talked about.” Great. Buck was going to call Maddie later and swear her to keeping her mouth shut about anything else he did back in Pennsylvania.

“And?”

“And? Why didn’t you tell us that you had a degree? It’s something to be proud of.”

“I didn’t want to talk about it, it isn’t that big of a deal, most people get them all the time.”

“Most people don’t get a four year agree in half the time you did.” Eddie said. Buck narrowed his eyes; he was definitely going to have to talk to Maddie. “Never pegged you for a business major.”

“That’s why,” Buck got up, and headed over to the door, locating his shoes and started to lace them back up.

“Why what?” Eddie was confused.

“Why no one thought I would have a business degree. I’m good at math, Eddie, you know that. And yet you sound so shocked that I would have gotten a degree.” Eddie stared him down, mouth slightly open, and Buck sighed. “I know everyone thinks I'm dumb, Eddie, so forgive me if I didn’t want to talk about it.” Swiping his keys from the little bowl by the door, Buck threw on his jacket and turned to the door. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, I need to get some sleep.”

Buck didn’t get far; Eddie latched onto his arm and tugged him over to the couch, practically throwing him down onto the cushions, before sitting down next to him.

“There are several statements in there that we need to address.” Eddie started. “First off, you aren’t dumb. I know how smart you are, Buck, so does everyone else. I think it just took us by surprise that you did something else before becoming a firefighter. That’s your life, man, I can’t picture you spending all day in a suit.”

“It got me out of the house and gave me something to do.”

“We wouldn’t make fun of you for being smart, Buck.” Eddie leaned in closer, as if he was telling Buck a secret, and Buck fought the urge to run under such a scrutinizing look. “I like learning about the little facts you tell us. I’m pretty sure half the stuff Christopher is interested in or knows about is because you learned it alongside him.”

“You get annoyed hearing me talk about them sometimes.” Buck hedged.

“I know that sometimes you research because you get worried or anxious. I want you to learn because you want to, not because you’re trying to get your brain to turn off or calm down.” Eddie retorted. “Chimney was curious because he never knew that about you.”

“I snapped at him.”

“He isn’t mad.” Eddie insisted. “Maddie slipped up and Chimney knew he was taking a chance asking you about it.” To be honest, Buck wasn’t even sure where his diploma was; him completing lined up with him signing up for the SEALs and then everything happened and thoughts of using that piece of paper were long gone, pushed away for other dreams.

“It just bugs me sometimes,” Buck said, averting his eyes, and trying not to squirm when Eddie pressed their legs together.

“What? The teasing?” Eddie asked. “I can ask them to tune it down.”

“No, you don’t have to do that.”

“If it’s bugging you this much, then yes, I do.” Eddie reasoned. “I won’t talk to them if you agree to being honest when something we say bugs you.”

“Okay,” Buck gave in, it was easier in the long run, and Buck figured that he could deal with any amount of teasing before it got to that point. He looked at the time, wincing at the late hour, and went to stand again. “I should head back.”

“Stay the night. You’ve got clean work clothes with you and Christopher can see you in the morning before he goes to school and you leave for your shift.”

Eddie didn’t take no for an answer, setting up the couch for him, and Buck let him go. It wouldn’t be the first time he spent the night. He got to make pancakes for Christopher, listening to the boy talk about his upcoming school day, and then he darted to work. No one pressed him for more information regarding his past degree, though there did seem to be an increase of his friends asking him random questions to topics he knew fairly well. Eddie frequently messaged him new areas to look into, which led him to a new language learning cite, and ultimately Eddie finding out he knew Spanish. That had been interesting, and probably one of Buck’s favorite memories, and the two of them had a blast whispering in Spanish at the station, to the bafflement of their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got a happy season finale!!!! AAAHHH! But now we have to wait until 2021... 
> 
> Also, day 57 of quarantine so that's fun


	24. Chapter 24

**10 Volunteer**

The morning of move-in day came quickly and soon the entire house was in a sort of controlled chaos. Michael had spent the night, not wanting to get caught in traffic the following morning, and the majority of May’s belongings had already been packed and placed in the living room, all set to be loaded into the cars. Athena was already awake, manning the stove with ease and efficiency, and she greeted him with a smile and a cup of coffee.

Bobby didn’t say much, just gave her a light kiss to the cheek for her troubles, and went to work setting the table. Harry would be up soon, Michael had just started the shower, and May was likely doing a final check of things in her room before coming downstairs.

“Hard to believe she’s moving into her dorm today,” Athena said as she slid the eggs onto the serving dish, covering it to keep the heat in, and passed it off to Bobby who put it on the table. “Seems like yesterday I could barely get the girl to make up her mind of what she wanted to do past high school.”

“She figured it out in the end, just like we all knew she would.” It hadn’t been easy, for any of them, and all the adults had suffered through endless questions and probing as May tried to figure out a plan of action. “She’s going to do great in the nursing program.”

“Good morning!” Michael chirped as he walked into the kitchen. “Who is ready for a day spent lugging boxes and totes up flights of stairs with no air conditioning?”

“Not you, if you know what’s good for you,” Athena warned; the news that the tumor was shrinking was a huge weight off all of their shoulders, and Athena was not about to let her ex-husband over exert himself, not even for his own daughter. “Now, make yourself useful and round up the wayward children.”

Harry was still half asleep, and shuffled into the room dressed in pajamas, while May seemed to float down the stairs and was a bundle of energy. Breakfast went off without a hitch, each of them eating and consuming a fair amount of coffee, with the exception of Harry who picked orange juice, before they finished. Sending her son up to get dressed, Michael and Bobby pounced on clean-up duty, leaving the women to finish getting ready.

“I did one last check and I’ve got everything,” May said as she slipped on her shoes. Harry rubbed his eyes and groaned as Michael handed him a box.

“Why do you have so much stuff?” He complained. “You didn’t always have this much.”

“I needed stuff for my dorm room, Harry, I can’t show up there with nothing.”

“There isn’t enough space in the car for all of this!”

“We’ll make sure it fits, Harry.” Bobby reassured him, taking his own boxes, and followed Michael outside where the car trunk was already open.

Thankfully, all of the packing went smoothly, as it came down to stacking one box on top of the other, and in under and hour they were done. Michael took some pictures, then Athena did, and Bobby snapped a couple, sending them out to the group chat. Chimney was covering his shift today in exchange for a play by play of May moving in, the first kid in their little group to head off to college.

The University of Southern California had a sprawling campus; May originally thought about commuting, then changed her mind and decided to spend the first year in the dorms, wanting to get the full experience of her freshman year. The parking lot was a chaotic mess, and at points the four of them were holding onto the car handles, and each other, as Athena fought for a parking spot.

“Land! Sweet land!” Harry cheered as he jumped out of the chair, narrowly missing the light tap to the back of the head that his mother tried to give him, and was soon ushered along as they followed the mass of people to the orientation tents.

“Go sign in, baby, we’ll wait here,” Athena told May, who veered off to the white tents, and the four of them stood off to the side, watching as other families did the same. “Seems like a large class.”

“She’s going to be fine, Athena, May’s a social butterfly and she’s been so excited about this,” Michael rubbed her shoulder, trying to reassure his ex-wife, but Bobby could see the light sheen to his eyes. May came back over to them, clutching a folder, a tiny envelope containing her room keys, and a draw string bag that held various college memorabilia.

“I got my room number and keys, so we can start bringing stuff in,” May said. “And, I’m apologizing in advance, my room is on the second floor.”

Bobby was glad for the countless hours spent hauling and carrying heavy items long distances; he, Athena, and May decided to be the ones to lug everything from the car to the room, leaving Harry and Michael to unload the car. May had gotten a single room, but the college students in the rooms next to hers seemed friendly enough, and Bobby had no doubt that his step-daughter would be telling them all about her new friends in the near future.

Once the car was unloaded, Harry and Michael followed them up to the room, where they helped out with some minor furniture assembly. Mainly, putting together the new desk chair, floor lamp, and kitchen cart. Athena had gone out and purchased some non-perishable food staples and Bobby was already planning on sending up a care package once the first week of classes hit; he wondered if he should let the team know in advance, so they could send something along, as well.

“I think that does it,” Michael announced, clasping his hands together, and gazing around the room. It had come together nicely; May’s clothes were unpacked, the posters and pictures she had brought hung onto the wall, all necessary stationary or cookery was unloaded and ready to use.

“How about we grab some food and then we’ll hit the road?”

“There’s a neat little café down the road,” May suggested. “One of the orientation coordinators recommended it when I picked up my stuff.”

The café was a hit, all five of them laughing and smiling the whole time, despite the fact that May would be staying behind and it would likely be a couple of weeks before they saw her again. There had already been plenty of promises to video chat and text.

“You sure you’re going to be alright?” Athena asked once they were back in front of May’s dorm building. May laughed and accepted the hug her mother was offering her.

“I’m going to be fine, Mom, you’ll see me again in a few weeks.”

“Don’t sign up for too many clubs,” Bobby warned. “You don’t want to burn yourself out before the semester gets going.”

“And take the vitamins I got you, drink plenty of water, and if a sketchy kid offers you Adderall, slap him and run the other way.” Michael tacked on.

“If a sketchy kid does anything to you, punch him, call me, and I’ll handle it.” Athena capped off. 

“You guys are weird, but okay, fine,” May agreed. They did another round of hugs, Athena’s and Michael’s lingering, before May gave one to Bobby.

“Don’t let them get too crazy without me, Bobby.”

“I’ll do my best.” Bobby promised. “You’re going to do great, May.”

May was excited to start the nursing program, already had Maddie’s number on speed dial for any nursing related questions, and she had plenty of different study resources found by Maddie, Hen, and Buck. While it would be another day or two before classes really kicked off, Bobby knew that May would nail it, positive that she would shine in the program.

“Don’t bug them too much,” May ruffled Harry’s hair, causing him to groan and bat her hands away, before allowing her to give him a brief hug. “You are the last kid standing in the house, so try not to mess up too badly.”

“No children of mine are going to do anything that would involve them messing up,” Athena reminded them with her famous raised eyebrow. Michael and Bobby shared a look before quietly chuckling.

They parted ways shortly after that, wanting to give May time to get accounted with her classmates, and to potentially avoid some of the tedious LA traffic. There weren’t any tears, though the house was noticeably quieter when they entered back inside; May’s bedroom door was open and it looked odd with half it’s belongings missing.

“One kid left until we have an empty nest,” Michael remarked. Bobby leaned against the door frame, seeing that May had cleaned the room before she left, and also knowing that it would likely be maintained while she was away.

“Don’t think like that. Athena was planning this move as if it was a hostage situation.” Bobby joked. “She’s going to do well there, Michael, the rest of us just have to let go a little bit.”

“As long as it’s just a little bit.”

Bobby told Michael to stay for dinner, which he accepted quickly, and half of that time was spent with the three adults informing the others of how move in day went. Bobby brought of the idea of a care package and it resonated well; the group chat was flooded with suggestions and so was the dinner table.

“Think it’s too late to go back and get her?” Athena asked as they were getting ready for bed. Bobby smiled at her from his spot on the bed.

“You and Michael did a great job raising her, ‘Thena, May is going to be just fine.”

The first video chat they had with May was exciting, listening to her stories of her new friends, all her classes, and every new thing she was learning. Bobby had no doubt that May was going to get through the semester with flying colors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 59 of quarantine and I've decided to start re-watching Criminal Minds... Hope everyone is doing alright :)
> 
> Side note, I'll likely be posting every other day, but feel free to leave a comment if you want :)


	25. Chapter 25

**87\. Transform**

After the whole incident with Doug, and the subsequent trauma that followed, Maddie and Chimney collectively put off any plans of moving in together. They both needed time to heal, to figure out what they wanted from this relationship, as well as think of a plan forward. Maddie wasn’t planning on staying in her current apartment; the inside was wrecked, furniture and belongings damaged from her first attempts to fight Doug off, and the walkway had been stained with Chimney’s blood.

The whole place was tainted in Maddie’s eyes. In an effort to help her heal, Josh and Buck offered up their places, and once Chimney was released from the hospital and deemed strong enough to live alone, Maddie often spent a night or two with him. Nighttime used to terrify her, the threat of what could be hiding in the shadows, until now. Doug was gone, he couldn’t touch her anymore, and Maddie finally had the freedom and safety that she had been chasing since first arriving in LA.

While she and Chimney decided to remain close, the amount of serious conversations they had increased, causing Maddie to critically think about their relationship.

“I wouldn’t be mad if you wanted to end things or take a break,” Chimney reassured her. Maddie rubbed her face as she sat on the couch. Chimney, too anxious to sit down, had resorted to pacing the space between the coffee table and mantle. “Whatever you want.”

“It can’t just be based on what I want, Howie. We both agreed to slow down, which has been helping, and taking a break seems like giving up.” Maddie was happy with Chimney. He was the opposite to Doug in countless ways. She wasn’t sure she could trust another man the way she did Chimney.

“Okay, then we aren’t taking a break.” Chimney paused. “What about your apartment? I know your lease is coming up.” Maddie brought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her lower extremities, and rested her chin on her knees.

“I’m not renewing my lease. I can’t stand thinking of spending any amount of extended time there.” Maddie said. “I’ll probably start looking around for a new place. Josh and Buck both offered to put me up until I find something, but they need their space, and both of their places aren’t suited for two people for an extended length of time.”

“Then maybe you should move here,” Chimney suggested after a moment. At Maddie’s confused expression, Chimney hurried to explain. “I know that moving in together is the opposite of going slow, and normally I would completely agree with you on getting your own place, but we both came to the consensus that we want to keep this relationship.”

“Yes? And how does that relate to moving in together?” Maddie asked. “Howie, you love your bachelor pad, and I don’t want to keep imposing myself on you.” Chimney frowned and came over to sit next to her, hesitantly reaching for her hand, finally grasping it with her encouraging smile.

“I’m saying that you could never impose on me. If I could spend every moment with you, I would, but sadly I’m not a millionaire and bills have to be paid.” Chimney joked. “My lease is coming up as well. I’m suggesting that we look for something together. A new place for the two of us, no previous memories, a fresh start.”

“Is this you asking me to officially move in with you?” Maddie had to be sure that this was what she was hearing. Granted, they had discussed it in the past, Maddie eventually saying no because she felt secure at her place and didn’t want the added risk of Doug finding her with another person. It seemed stupid now; Doug had found her anyway and hurt both of them.

“That is exactly what I am saying, Maddie. I want you to move in with me.” Chimney smiled at her, eyes wide with tentative hope, and Maddie shifted to fully face Chimney. “We can find a new place and make it our own.”

Now that Maddie heard him say it out loud, she couldn’t stop picturing it; the two of them making a mess of the kitchen, movie nights on the couch, dancing around the bedroom and making one another laugh with outrageous body movements. A place where they could make a fresh start together.

“I like the sound of that,” Maddie confessed. “Our place, it has a nice ring to it.” Chimney grinned, body relaxing at her words, and he leaned in. Maddie met him halfway, lips pressing together, a kiss that wasn’t anything heavy or sexual.

“So, I have this weekend off, maybe we should go out and tour a few places? See what we like?” Chimney offered. Maddie chuckled, enjoying his excitement, and nodded.

They talked about it a little longer, mainly to make sure Maddie’s schedule worked, before putting the conversation to rest. Apartment hunting was interesting. They had different tastes, from the color of the bathroom to the types of flooring, and at times they both felt exasperated when the tour was done. They made spread sheets, in an effort to help narrow down their search, before coming across the right place.

It was an older styled apartment, tucked away from the main parts of town, and had a rustic feel to it. It had an open living room, lots of natural light, and enough kitchen space for all those would-be dinner parties. The bathroom was wonderful, recently renovated, as well as a spacious outdoor patio. After the tour, Chimney and Maddie looked at one another, smiled, and told the landlord they were interested. They signed the lease the following week and began the process of boxing up their belongings. Moving two different homes together was interesting, especially deciding where to put things, but they managed.

“I am never moving again,” Chimney huffed as they both rested on the floor. They would have sat on the couch, only it was covered by boxes, so the floor it was. “Think we’ve done enough to call it a night?” Maddie rolled her eyes and stretched, wincing as several joints popped, before getting up.

“The bed is set up and we have work clothes for tomorrow. I think that means it is totally time for some sleep,” Maddie offered a hand to help Chimney off the floor, and the pair headed off to the bedroom, hands still linked. They completed their nighttime routines alongside together; teeth brushed, faces washes, day clothes changed for soft sweatpants and pajamas. They ignored the stacks of boxes and containers as they crawled into bed, curling up against one another, checking one last time to ensure the alarms were set.

“So, first night in our new place,” Chimney nuzzled her nose. “We’ll need to christen everything at some point.”

"I’m not too tired yet,” Maddie stated, hands trailing under Chimney’s shirt, before pulling him closer by his hips. “Doesn’t seem like you are tired either.” Maddie pointed out as their pelvises touched.

“I don’t have to be in till 9,” Chimney said, moving until he was hovering over Maddie, bending his head down to nibble along Maddie’s collarbone. “And we do need to break in the bed.”

“Well then,” Maddie had a glint to her eyes, seductive smile in place, and she rolled her hips, savoring Chimney’s surprised gasp. “I have to be in for 7, before get moving, Howie.” With a grin, Chimney swept in the press their lips together, and make good of the first night together in their new place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give it up for day 61 of quarantine. I'm slowly turning my back deck into a green house; we are up to three different planters. How is everyone holding up? Leave a comment or a kudos if you wish, I love hearing from you guys :)


	26. Chapter 26

**86\. Publicity**

It had been one of those days. The kind where they were constantly moving, jumping in and out of the rig, dealing with simple calls that suddenly turned serious, and generally running themselves ragged while wishing for their shift to be done. Chimney groaned as they made it back to the station, grimacing as he felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck, and he prayed that they had enough of a break before the alarm bell went off again.

His friends looked to be in similar states; tired, covered in sweat, soot, and dirt, craving a hot shower and a bed. Hen broke off to go to the woman’s wing of the showers, leaving the men to shuffle along to their own showers, trickling out one by one. By the time Chimney was done, it was just him and Buck in the locker room, neither of them having the energy to slip their shoes back on.

“Is it bad if I just want to go hide in the bunk rooms?” Buck asked, bending over to tie his shoe laces, and Chimney winced at the pop Buck’s back gave off. “Argo is going to be disappointed tonight, there’s no way I can manage the normal walk we go on, maybe I should look into a dog walker.”

“I’ll join you if I go hide, though we’ll need separate bunks, we both can’t fit on the same bed.” Chimney frowned as Buck shifted, avoiding putting any weight on his bad leg. After spending so long with his friend, and knowing what Buck downplaying pain looked like, he spoke up, “Your leg bothering you?”

“No more than it normally does,” Buck stood, still shifting to keep the majority of weight off his leg, and reached into his open locker to grab a bottle of pain medication. “It’s just sore, the meds will kick in soon and I’ll be good to go.” He flashed a smile to Chimney who nodded as Buck knocked back two pills.

“You know, I realized that the two of us are coming up on an anniversary,” Chimney mentioned. At Buck’s confused look, Chimney shrugged, and stretched his legs out along the floor. “Well, I’m coming up on the three-year mark of the rebar accident. You’re a few weeks shy of the two-year mark for your leg.”

“That long, huh? Doesn’t seem like that much time has passed,” Buck commented. He looked shocked, as if Buck didn’t keep track of dates, which Chimney knew wasn’t true. Buck knew all the important dates, anniversaries, events; then again, Buck was also the first to diminish anything relating to himself. Thinking back on it, Chimney could understand why it seemed like hardly any time had passed.

The two of them had rushed through their recoveries, with drastically different routes that led them back to the 118, back to their friends and previous routines. No one liked talking about past injuries.

“You know, by all rights, the two of us should be dead. Or at the very least, severely crippled.” Chimney wasn’t sure what made him say it. “All the doctors and therapists couldn’t figure it out. Neither could yours. We should both be chilling in wheelchairs right now.”

“There’s a fun thought. Both of us, rolling ourselves around, giving everyone a headache.” Buck chuckled. Then, his face soured, eyes turning pensive. “Maddie told me that they almost amputated my leg. Those first few days they were worried about sepsis.”

“She told me about it. Warned us of what might happen and to prepare ourselves.” That had probably been one of the hardest phone calls he’d had to take from his girlfriend. The fact that none of them could be in there, limited to waiting for news through Maddie or Bobby, was nauseating.

“Well, it didn’t happen, so that’s a good thing.” Buck flashed a grin. “Hen and I kept trying to reach your family when you had your accident. I don’t think either of us got much sleep that night. Hen fibbed to the nurses, said that we were related through marriage, until they let us stay.”

“Really? Hen never told me that,” Chimney replied, giggling as he pictured his best friend storming the hospital, doing whatever was necessary to stay by his side. “Maybe we should get some punch cards, kind of like a buy one get one free deal.”

“More like have nine visits and get the tenth free.” Buck shut his locker door, moving to sit down next to Chimney on the bench, the two of them staring off into space. “I never want to end back up in the hospital. Did you know I had the same nurse from my first accident take care of me during the embolism?”

“Seriously? That’s some weird luck, Buckaroo.” Chimney was glad he wasn’t on that kind of recognition with the nursing staff. Granted, he was probably due for his own near-death experience, maybe he could take some of the leftover luck Buck had and use it. “We should have a party.”

“A party? What? Like some kind of hooray, you didn’t die party?” Buck asked. Chimney shrugged and then tried to picture it. They could make a night of it; order some food, kick back, and stay away from anything that had the potential to try and take them out.

“Well, we would get cake. That would be a pretty big plus,” Chimney pointed out. “I can get the name of the bakery Hen normally goes to, get something simple, and we can enjoy it. Might not be up to the same level of parties you and Eddie have, but it’ll be fun.”

“Christopher is the planner, not us, we let Eddie plan a night in once and it was a mess,” Buck joked. “I’d be up for hanging out, Chim. Maddie’s been telling me to get out more often, anyway.”

Chimney didn’t tell him that hanging out with their established friend group didn’t count.

“I think she meant going out and getting a hobby that wasn’t work related, Buck. However, I am holding you to a celebration night. We can have food, cake, and I can finally introduce you to the plethora of movies you still haven’t seen.”

“The list you keep giving me gets longer every time!” Buck said, lightly shoving Chimney’s shoulder when he rolled his eyes, “Eddie and I would watch more, there’s a couple of them on there that he likes, but we have to be careful with what we pick because of Christopher.”

“Ah, right, the joys of keeping everything PG,” Chimney teased. “Fine, I’ll narrow it down to say, three choices, and then you can pick the order that we watch them in.” It was criminal how lacking Buck’s movie knowledge was, considering he soaked up information like a sponge, and Maddie gave no clues.

“Fine, with the exception that I can ask as many questions as I want during it,” Buck was one of those people that liked to talk during the movie, asking questions or making connections, something that Chimney never minded since he did the same thing.

“Deal. Look at us, planning our own near-death anniversary date, you sure the others won’t be jealous?” Chimney huffed as he stood, Buck following suit, as the taller man shook his head.

“Nah, this just means we don’t have to fight for the corner pieces of cake. Or be shushed during the movie.” Buck said, causing Chimney to smile. As far as anniversaries went, the two of them were determined to make it fun, and hopefully avoid any potential near-death related incidents. (At least for a few more months.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited for the upcoming chapters (the majority of them are happy ones if you can believe it), and sometime next week the first chapter of the new story will be up :) Leave a comment if you wish!


	27. Chapter 27

**73\. Field**

Eddie pulled into the dirt parking lot, Christopher eagerly peering out the backseat window, and exclaimed with excitement when he noticed Bobby’s Buick and Buck’s Jeep were already parked.

“Dad, hurry up! We can’t be late!”

“We aren’t late, Chris, I think we’re early. They won’t start the game without us,” Eddie parked beside Buck’s car, turning off his truck, and quickly moved to assist Christopher in getting out. Once his son was on the ground, Eddie reached in for his bag, passing Christopher’s backpack off to his grinning kid. It wasn’t terribly hot yet; thankfully, the park that had been picked had a lot of shade and there was even a light breeze in the air. Eddie had insisted on Christopher wearing shorts, throwing a baseball cap, sunscreen, and plenty of water into the children’s bag.

On the other side of the baseball field the other fire station, the 76th, was mingling and waiting by the dugout. Eddie was positive that this would end in some sort of feud, and he wondered why Bobby thought this was a good idea, despite his insistence that it would be good for them.

“It’s for charity,” Bobby explained when he first pitched the idea. “They’ll pit different stations against each other, on separate weekends so LA still has plenty of coverage, and then the top two will go head to head. The winner gets to pick which charity the winnings go to.”

“Seems simple enough,” Hen said. “Though, I don’t know about you, Bobby, but we don’t have any super sporty people here.” Chimney never had an interest in sports, same with Hen, and Eddie could hold his own, leaving Buck and Bobby to fill in the gaps.

“It’ll be fine, Hen, we just need to make sure no one gets a concussion or broken bone.” Bobby faltered as Hen shot him an unimpressed glare, before gesturing over to the side, where Chimney and Buck were chit chatting in the kitchen, oblivious to their friends.

“With those two danger magnets? Sure, I’m positive that nothing bad will happen. Good thing we’ll be surrounded by first responders,” Hen said. “Buck, what are your opinions on baseball?”

Turns out Buck didn’t know much more than they had thought, which was a shame, Eddie thought he might have played. Unsurprisingly, Buck came in the next day filled to the brim with baseball facts.

Throughout the month, various fire stations competed against one another, with station 32 having the lead. Eddie wasn’t too sure of their chances of winning, they might be able to get through a few rounds, but Eddie was positive they would not be winning the whole thing. Bobby was taking this thing seriously, mapping everything out, motivated to win.

“Bucky!” Christopher took off, power walking to Buck who was coming out from the dugout, and held his arms out for a hug. “I made you a sign.” Eddie’s kitchen table wouldn’t be the same, from the markers and paint and glitter, but it was worth it to see his son proud of his finished products. “Wanna see?”

“Of course!” Buck said, accepting Eddie’s fist bump, and the three of them walked over to the stands. Bobby was writing something down, likely the batting order, and Eddie dumped his bag on the ground, startling him out of his pensive train of thought.

“Doing alright there, Cap?” Eddie teased. Bobby’s lip twitched, breaking into a smile a moment later, and he tossed the notebook to the side. “I’m surprised you aren’t making us go out there and start doing some drills.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Bobby laughed. “The 76th is already parading around like they won, so we need to wipe the floor with them, got it?”

Eddie held his hands up, not wanting to get in the way of Bobby’s way, not used to seeing such a competitive streak. Another car pulled up, this time it was Chimney’s, and Bobby left to go greet him. Eddie walked over to where his son and best friend where, Christopher showing Buck each sign as it was spread across their laps, and Eddie cringed when he saw how much glitter was already on Buck’s sneakers.

“These look great, buddy, everyone is going to love them,” Buck adored every single one of Christopher’s art projects. Eddie was used to filling his own locker with Christopher’s drawings, and it wasn’t long before Buck’s began to have its own pieces. It made Eddie feel all warm inside each time their lockers were open.

“Heads up, Bobby is determined to win today, so it’s going to be a long game,” Eddie warned. Buck shrugged, all smiles, and Eddie wondered how he kept the sunny attitude all the time. “Any idea on what positions we’re taking?”

“Probably us two on in the field or on the bases, I’m not entirely sure.”

Buck opened the bottle of water that Christopher handed him, cracking the seal on the cap and giving it back to him. Christopher gave him a blinding smile and settled in to wait for the rest of the team by his side. Chimney walked in with Bobby, Hen showing up a few minutes later, and the rest of the 118 trickled in over the course of the hour. When everyone was present, and family members were seated in the stands, Bobby started breaking down the plan.

As predicted, Buck and Eddie were in the field, with instructions to catch every single ball.

“It’s a little terrifying to see him like this,” Chimney whispered as the Umpire reminded all of them to play a clean game and all that jazz. “Are we sure that we made the right call by signing up for this?” Hen rolled her eyes and adjusted her sunglasses.

“Bold of you to assume that Bobby gave you free choice to do this. He had all our names on the list the moment the idea was talked about.”

The bright side of this was that they had gotten matching t-shirts; it had the 118-station number on the front, in the right upper corner, and their last names on the back. Their friends and family had come along to cheer. Karen and Denny were there, cheering on Hen; Athena, Michael, May and Harry were there for Bobby; Maddie and Josh were there for Chimney and Buck; and Christopher was sitting with Abuela and Peppa. The signs that Christopher had made for all of them had been handed out, now resting in the respective hands of their family members, and each time one of them went up to bat or did something in the grassy field, the signs were waved around.

By the end of the game, the glitter had mostly fallen off, littering the metal seats and ground. Eddie didn’t think he would buy into the competitive nature of the game, but he did, often yelling and cheering alongside Bobby. It was neck and neck, with the bottom of the ninth coming down to one of the opposing team players hitting a home run, scoring them the win. There were still smiles all around, everyone shaking hands, laughing, and even though Bobby had wanted to win, he accepted the loss with grace. After cleaning up the grounds, the group went down the street to a small ice cream stand, everyone enjoying the cold treat after spending hours in the hot sun.

“So,” Bobby had a thoughtful look on his face as he finished off his cone. “There’s talk of this being a yearly event. Any one want to put their name down for next year? We can start practicing early-“Bobby started, grinning as there was a mix of laughter and groans. Eddie wasn’t too worried; he knew of four names that would be put down automatically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly cranking these out. I'm also working on a chapter fic focused on the Buckley siblings, which is already taking on a life of its own, so there's that. Leave a comment if you wish :)


	28. Chapter 28

50\. Charity

Buck did not get off a 34-hour shift, somehow make his way back to his apartment, up the flights of stairs, and not manage to crack his head open during his short shower, to have someone knock on his door less than three hours later. Buck groaned, Argo stretching out beside him as his body turned, and pulled the covers up over his head. The knock went off again, this time a little louder, and Buck painstakingly left his bed.

There were some elderly residents on his floor, all of whom knew he worked for the fire department, and Buck always made it a point to keep his door open to them if they needed help. He really hoped this wasn’t the case; the past shift had been nothing but back to back calls, each more grueling than the last, and Buck wanted a few hours free of interaction with other people. Buck didn’t expect to open the door and see Chimney standing there on the other side.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Chimney’s happy go lucky attitude was too much for Buck, who was running on less than two hours of sleep, clothes rumpled, hair a wild, curly mess. Chimney, on the other hand, was dressed and holding up a drink tray and a paper bag. “I come bearing gifts. Coffee and bagels, you like the place down on seventh street, right?” Buck blinked a couple of times, Chimney patiently waiting for him to answer, before taking his silence as permission and stepped into the apartment.

“What are you doing here, Chim?” Buck asked, yawning as he closed the door, body protesting the movement every step of the way. His eyes were heavy and all he wanted was to crawl back into bed. Chimney stopped his raiding of the cabinets for plates, shifting to grab one of the tall cups, thrusting the hot drink into his hands. “What time is it?” It had been close to four am when he finally ended up leaving the station.

“A little past eight,” Chimney finally found the plates, reaching into the paper bag, grabbing two wrapped bagels and plopping one in front of each of them. “Neither of us have to be in until later tonight, so I thought we could both use a little friendly brother-in-law bonding time.” Chimney starting tearing into his bagel, all sunny disposition, unperturbed by Buck’s glare as he sipped his coffee. It wasn’t a good idea to be drinking the caffeine, if he wanted to sleep later, but it was good coffee dammit.

“Chim, I just spent an entire shift with you. And I really want to try and get some sleep before I have to go back,” Buck wouldn’t throw Chimney out, if anything he could escape up to the loft and sleep while Chimney did whatever he wanted downstairs, it didn’t matter as long as he didn’t look like a zombie when he went back to the station. Chimney grinned and Buck knew any chances of him getting some rest were gone for the day; Buck could already picture the disapproving look Bobby would be giving him.

“Where’s Argo at? She’s normally the first at the door when someone comes over,” Said dog was still upstairs, getting plenty of use out of the bed that Buck should be enjoying right now, and likely had no interest in their visitor unless he had treats. Buck reached for his slightly less warm bagel and pointed up to the loft, taking another sip of coffee, before biting into his food. “Oh. Guess I really did come at a bad time, huh?”

“It’s not a bad time, Chim, just super early.” Buck said. Whatever had driven Chimney here after such a busy shift clearly had to be important and Buck wasn’t about to kick him out before he found out what it was. “Argo will come down when she’s ready. I haven’t even fed her breakfast yet.” Just like that, all the little chores he needed to do came to mind; the dishwasher needed to be run, laundry washed and folded, his bathroom needed to get cleaned, and Buck was pretty sure his fridge was empty.

“I can do that!” Chimney hadn’t even finished his food and was already up before Buck could tell him otherwise. Wide eyed, Buck pointed out where Argo’s food was, instructing him on the correct amount, and then watched as Chimney refilled the water dish. “So, you know how I still get the newsletter from the animal shelter?” They both did; there was a bi-monthly newsletter that went out, highlighting some of the pets ready for adoption, as well as calling for volunteers. Buck hadn’t read it recently with how busy they had been.

“Sure,” Buck answered and watched as Chimney rocked on his feet before reaching into his jacket pocket. A folded-up piece of paper was slid across the table to him, prompting Buck to wipe his fingers on his sweat pants before he picked it up. Buck read it once, then twice, eyes widening before looking up at Chimney. Argo decided to come down the stairs then, greeting Buck before noticing Chimney, and then trotted over to her food bowl.

“This is a sign-up form for a dog competition.”

“The shelter put it out to any dog owners, especially those who adopted from their facility in the past, to come and raise money for charity. And I figured, hey, you have a dog, she was from the shelter, it’s a good idea, right?” Chimney looked hesitant after a moment. “There’s no pressure to sign up, I just thought it might be a cool idea and you’re always looking for new things to try out.” More like the others were always trying to find new ways to get him a hobby outside of work.

“Argo knows basic commands. This is saying they want to see other skills, like agility, which I don’t even know what that entails.” Buck looked for his phone to start searching, realizing it was upstairs, and decided that it could wait until later. “I don’t even think she would be interested in doing something with so many people around.” Chimney stared at him for a few seconds, fingers tapping on his cup, and Buck waited him out as he finished eating.

“When you adopted her, all she knew were the commands of ‘sit’, ‘stay’, and ‘heel’. A few weeks after that, Argo was able to do ‘roll over’, ‘shake’, and ‘play dead’. You’ve trained her a lot more than you think you did, Buck.” Chimney argued. “Isn’t there a dog park nearby? We could try out some of the skills they have listed on the sheet there.” It wasn’t a terrible idea, honestly, and Buck glanced at the clock.

The place would be packed and Buck was still wary of certain dogs there when it was busy. “How about we go tomorrow? It’ll be too crowded right now,” Buck pushed his chair back to allow for Argo to come and place her paws and head on his lap like she normally did after she was done eating. “I’ll think about it, Chim, no guarantees that Argo would even go for it.” Chimney didn’t take offense, more excited than let down, and heading back to his place to sleep a little while after that.

Buck quickly cleaned up the table, following Argo back up the stairs, and easily drifted back to sleep. As it turned out, Argo was a natural at the agility tricks. She quickly picked up the purpose of going through the fabric tunnels, weaving through the poles, and even going up and over the seesaw. Buck was impressed, Chimney even more so, and before long Buck was filling out a form. Chimney was excited, petting and cooing to Argo as Buck wrote down the necessary information, amused by his friend’s antics.

Buck doesn’t even have a chance to tell their friends out it; Chimney blurted it out one afternoon, barreling into the living area of the station loft, wilding waving his phone around before thrusting it into Buck’s face. It’s only by the grace of Eddie’s quick reflexes that the phone doesn’t collide with his nose. “They accepted the application! And look,” Chimney leans in further, finger swiping down to show another paragraph. “They included a bandanna for Argo to wear!”

The others are looked more than a little confused, and Buck doesn’t blame them; the picture they are currently displaying, Chimney halfway on his lap and Buck staring cross eyed onto a phone screen, is certainly out of the norm. Even Eddie, who normally doesn’t blink at the shenanigans at the station, is looking puzzled. Buck decides to take pity on them before Chimney confuses them anymore. “Chim found a charity dog show and convinced me to sign Argo up.” Chimney pointed a finger in Buck’s face.

“Technically, Argo convinced you with her skills. She’s almost as competitive as Eddie over there.” Chimney dodges the hand that reached out to swat at him, leaving Buck to press back into the cushions, as Bobby nods appropriately. “The event is at the end of the month, if you wanted to come, maybe one of you will find a new fur friend.” Hen quickly declined; they already had their hands full with the kids and Paisley. Eddie followed suit, not that Buck was too worried; Christopher had slowly been wearing Eddie down to getting a pet of his own.

“You know how Athena is with animals,” Bobby said. “If I suggested it to her, I’ll be on the couch for a week.” Still, Chimney convinced their friends to go, not that Buck was pushing the issue; it was going to be crazy enough as it was, and he’d likely be focusing more on Argo than whoever showed up. They continued to practice each day, as much as they could around work, and soon Argo began to display her new talents around the apartment. The first time Buck came downstairs to see Argo on the counter was a shock.

As well as her being able to pull open the fridge; she didn’t eat anything in there, thank god, just found the whole thing interesting and often pranced around Buck after she did it, expecting a treat for her work. The bandana came in the mail, it even had Argo’s name stitched onto the cloth, and Buck finally admitted that he was getting a little excited about the whole thing. The day of the charity dog show, Argo was ready to go, freshly bathed and rocking her bandana.

Chimney greeted him as he pulled in, practically skipping to the sign in table, and Maddie hung back with Buck as they walked at a more reasonable pace. It had a fair amount of people there, as well as a good mix of dogs, even one or two that Buck recognized from the dog park near his apartment. Christopher and Eddie found them an hour later, Chris eagerly petting Argo, who had been sticking to Buck’s side as she normally did while in public settings.

The course wasn’t terrible and when it was finally their turn, Argo did just fine, surpassing Buck’s expectations that she would get nervous or agitated. Argo nailed the agility course, showed off the basic commands that had been expected of the judges, and correctly came to him despite being tempted away with a treat from another volunteer. Chimney was positive they would do well and potentially place, not that Buck cared about it, and soon the rest of the dogs had gone through.

They didn’t end up placing, instead receiving a little thank you plaque, and a complementary bag of goodies for participating. Chimney was a little bummed, genuinely disappointed that they didn’t place, but Buck cheered him up by letting him show off the plaque. After all, Chim did have a hand in getting Buck Argo, it was a fair trade off. They got lunch at a little bistro down the street, sitting on the outdoor patio deck, Argo loving the attention and poorly hidden table scrapes from everyone.

The plaque ended up on Buck’s wall, Christopher picking out a spot and Buck obediently placing the nail. There wasn’t going to be any more dog shows in the future, despite Chimney’s wishes, but the training stuck. It led to some more memorable stories of Argo getting into mischief at the apartment, and Buck found he didn’t even mind, simply glad that Argo was happy and learning new things. A few years later, when he finally moved in with Eddie and Christopher, a short fabric tunnel showed up, and Buck took endless pictures and videos of Christopher giving the commands to Argo in the backyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE GETTING A BUCK BEGINS EPISODE!!!
> 
> I'm also in the process of moving my stuff back home from my old apartment and I realized just how much I hate packing. Hope you guys enjoy and leave a comment if you wish :)


	29. Chapter 29

**106\. Treasure**

Eddie was positive that this would end in bloodshed. Or tears. It wasn’t often that everyone had the same days off; sometimes it lined up where they had a few overlapping hours, never the whole day, and Eddie wasn’t about to ask Bobby how many favors he called in to get it. Currently, they were waiting in Athena’s living room, sparsed out on the couches and chairs, half waiting and listening for the sounds of their kids in the backyard.

“Any clue what this is all about?” Chimney asked as he stretched out in the chair alongside Eddie’s. The man looked better rested than he did from the last time Eddie saw him; the new father had just made it through the first month of parenthood and was slowly transitioning from that wide-eyed wondered look to the racoon eyed stage. “No one here seems to know anything.” It was early for a get together and Christopher, who adored sleeping in as the pre-teen years hit, was up well before seven this morning.

“Not a clue. I tried to use Buck to get it out of Chris, but even that didn’t work, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” Buck was off to the side, engaged in some lively discussion with Bobby, Phoebe tucked in his arms, the common picture whenever the baby was around. Maddie, not far from her brother and daughter, was catching up with Hen.

“Seriously? I thought the kid told Buck everything?” Chimney wondered. Eddie shrugged, not too worried, and tipped his head back. Buck had tried, at first, as he was always worried about Christopher. Nothing worked, not asking, then cajoling, or even a half-hearted attempt at bribery. In the end, Christopher had planted his hands on his hips, little face sterner than any kid had a right to be, and told the two of them, “It’s a surprise! It won’t be one if you keep asking about it!”

Buck, properly chastised, stopped asking; Eddie, who promised to wait for the day of the surprise, quickly excused himself to the bathroom so he could laugh in private. The kids had been secretive all week. It was summer, which meant May was home from college and the other kids were out on break from school, so get togethers weren’t that odd. What had been odd was the hushed facetime calls, of which neither him nor Buck could be present for, and every attempt to find out what it had been about was met with silence and a mischievous grin from their kid.

Eddie had been parenting Christopher long enough to know that look meant trouble. Last night, Christopher had insisted on picking out their outfits, which consisted of two sets of jeans, an old button down of Eddie’s, and a soft t-shirt for Buck. Christopher was excited throughout the evening, all smiles and giggles, which only served to make Eddie more suspicious and Buck impatient. It had been nearly impossible to get Chris ready for bed, as he was still wide awake come ten o’clock, and it took an additional two stories for him to go to sleep.

So, here they were, gathered at Bobby and Athena’s house at nine o’clock in the morning, waiting to see what scheme Christopher had clearly had a part in planning. Eventually, the kids called them out into the backyard, where they were soon instructed to sit down, and Denny came by with an old cap, telling each of them to reach in and pick out a piece of paper. When the cap was empty, and Christopher was giggling from his position next to Buck, Eddie silently gave in to whatever was about to happen.

“We,” May began, gesturing to herself, Harry, Denny, Nina, and Christopher. “Have noticed that everyone has been stressed out and working too much. So, we devised a scavenger hunt. Those pieces of paper will tell you who your partner is and we printed out a little packet that will give you clues and instructions. The winner gets a special prize at the end.” It had been years since Eddie did a scavenger hunt, probably not since he was Christopher’s age, and even then, he hadn’t been very good at it.

Judging from the various looks from his friends, Eddie felt like the odd man out; Chimney and Hen were thrilled, Bobby a little more apprehensive, while Buck and Athena seemed more curious. Ideally, Eddie wondered if his boyfriend had ever done things like this as kid; Maddie did, as she mentioned the annual egg hunts as a child, but she and Buck clearly had different childhood experiences. Eddie unfolded his paper and stared down at the name; at the same time, Chimney looked up and both of them wore matching expressions.

It wasn’t that Eddie was hoping for Buck, because he was, but that he and Chimney were notoriously competitive, and now they had to work together. There was some sort of joke in there, Eddie just couldn’t find it at the moment, and he leaned over to see who Buck had. Buck, still holding Phoebe in his lap, turned the paper around. Athena’s name was written in blue ink. Hen and Bobby were put together, with Karen and Maddie agreeing to stay behind to monitor the kids. They got their Ziplock bags, complete with their first clue, and then told to head out.

The first one back to the house with all the answers to the clues was the winner. It was a sort of mad dash to the cars; Athena and Buck got out first, with Buck’s Jeep being parked on the road, and they took off before Eddie could slide into Chimney’s car. Everyone laughed at Buck's cries of, "Athena, be gentle with my car!" as they disappeared out of sight. Hen and Bobby were turning the corner just as they made it out of the driveway.

“What’s the first clue?” Chimney asked, pulling to a stop at the red light, and Eddie pulled out the piece of paper.

“I’m silver and tall, I don’t move but lots of people move down on me, what and where am I?” Eddie read, mind going blank, and he desperately wished Buck was here. He was so much better at puzzles.

“It’s the fire pole!” Chimney exclaimed and Eddie barely had time to hold onto his seat before Chimney hits the gas. They got plenty of weird looks as they barrel into the station, Eddie positive they’ve lost some respect from their fellow co-workers, and there, hanging by the fire pole, were two bags. Which meant that someone else had gotten there first. Eddie swiped it, scanned through it, before passing it off the Chimney and running back to the car.

Hen and Bobby pulled in just as Chimney closed the door, meaning the Athena and Buck were way ahead of them, and Eddie resisted the urge to pout. Neither of them were sure of how this whole thing was put together, or who else was involved because there had to be other adults helping, and soon Eddie and Chimney were driving around the city of LA. They went to one of their favorite coffee shops, the local mall, an old drive in movie theater, and the pier.

Hen and Bobby were nearly always a few minutes behind them, which caused Chimney to act even more like a crazed fool, and Buck and Athena were surprisingly absent. The places where each clue was hidden got trickier as they went along. The coffee shop clue was hidden in one of the decorative ceramic pots displayed on an empty table. At the mall, they found it at the corner book store, the owner (familiar with Eddie from coming in so often with Chris) gleefully handing over the clue. The movie theater had a clue taped onto the side of the concession stand, and the pier’s clue was hanging from one of the rails by the observation deck.

Eddie knew that he and Chimney made a good team, not as terrifying a team as two other people; Athena wasn’t afraid to reign Buck in when needed, and he continued to push her when it came down to it. It was nearly one o’clock when they finally made their way back to the house. Buck’s Jeep was now in parked in Chimney’s spot; Hen and Bobby nowhere to be seen. Chimney dragged his feet up the sidewalk, discouraged that they came in second place, and unlatched the gate to the backyard.

The kids were running around the yard, Carla now having joined their ranks, and Eddie quickly spotted Athena talking to Maddie off to the side. Buck, unsurprisingly, was playing in the grass. Nina was perched on his back, arms wrapped around his neck, and Christopher and Denny tugging him along to whatever game they’ve created. He probably looked like an idiot, smiling widely as he watched his boyfriend and son, but Eddie spent the whole day without either of them.

After hours driving around, dealing with Chimney’s debatable taste in music, and having to solve riddles on top of staying ahead of his friends, Eddie could afford to be all mushy. Athena waved him over, Chimney already sitting down next to Maddie, their baby girl cradled in his arms.

“I see the two of you didn’t kill each other.” Athena smirked. Eddie laughed, putting his hands in his pockets, and took the last empty seat on the deck.

“Chim wasn’t terrible. I still would pick Buck over him,” Eddie said. Chimney started bemoaning the injustice of it all, which of course got Karen to chime in, and by then Buck had made his way over. “Nice to see you again.”

Eddie wasn’t one for PDA, liking things to be private, and after spending so long trying to figure this all out, he wanted to keep his relationship with Buck between them for as long as he could. It’s only their friends and family here today, though, so Eddie shamelessly pecked Buck’s lips twice.

“I guess you and Chimney did something right. Neither of you murdered the other,” Buck joked. Nina, obviously content to stay in her current position, waved to Eddie. “Athena and I were wondering if we would ever see you guys today.” Buck was radiating happiness, body relaxed and open, and it made Eddie glad to see it. May was right, they had been working long hours, and lately they always had one or two calls that were particularly heartbreaking.

Coupled with both of their scheduled therapy sessions, emotions had been all over the place, so to see Buck smiling took some of their weight off Eddie’s shoulders.

“I might have to steal you for the police force,” Athena cut in. “Buck figured out half of those clues before I did.” Chimney, in the classic fashion of trying to find some sort of loophole, declared that he and Buck had to be partners next time. Hen and Bobby trickled in, each holding a cup of iced coffee; turned out that they had gotten side tracked at the coffee house, completely missing the movie theater and mall, but finding the one at the pier.

“Did you even try to find stuff, Mom?” Denny asked as Hen picked him up for a hug. May ribbed Bobby as well, Harry piling on, before Athena declared it time to figure out what they had won. It ended up being a little basket of different things; movie tickets, some food vouchers for some of the restaurants on the pier, a few bags of coffee from the local coffee shop. Athena and Buck split it, Bobby lighting up at the coffee bags, and Buck passing the movie tickets off to Eddie.

“Did you like it?” Christopher asked when they got home that night. “We worked really hard on it.” It turned out that Karen, Maddie, and Carla had been involved in addition to the kids. Eddie ruffled his hair, smiling at the affronted noise Chris made as his hair was messed up.

“We loved it, bud, everyone had a lot of fun.” Eddie had a feeling that Christopher would be planning future scavenger hunts; it didn’t escape his knowledge that most of the post-it notes in the house had been going missing.

“You know,” Eddie chatted as he got ready for bed, Buck already under the covers, “Athena and you make a scary team. We never saw you.”

Buck smirked, shrugged, “The two of us are used to working under pressure. It was terrifying when she was driving my car, though, never again.” Eddie rolled his eyes and crawled in beside him.

“We’re pairing up next time. Screw Chimney’s demands.”

Buck, half asleep chuckled, and agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your lovely comments that have come in the last few days. I'm going through them today; I was in the process of moving apartments and didn't have a lot of time to respond to people. Stay safe and healthy peeps :)


	30. Chapter 30

**102 Kit**

The morning of their weekend getaway started off slow. Eddie, burrowed under the covers and taking full advantage of trailing his fingers through Buck’s hair, wasn’t terribly mad for being awake at such an early hour. The strands twisted around his fingers, Buck deciding to grow it out a little bit, which meant that his hair was curlier than normal. Eddie was still campaigning to have Buck wear his hair like this all the time.

Technically, they didn’t have to rush to get ready; the bags were already packed, clothes ready to go, all that they needed to stop for was breakfast before driving out to their destination. Buck mumbled sleepily, face scrunching up, and Eddie watched fondly as his husband rolled over, placing himself closer to Eddie’s chest. The bare expanse of Buck’s back was too much temptation for Eddie, who couldn’t help touching it, softly tracing the freckles and marks on the skin.

“Trying to get lucky again, Eds?” Buck had one eye cracked open and Eddie smirked.

“Well, we did have such a good time last night, carino. It’d be a shame to never do it again.” Eddie would neve tire of this, of having Buck spread out next to him, all skin and open.

“As nice as that sounds,” Buck said, arching into Eddie’s touches. “We don’t have time; Christopher is going to be awake soon.”

Eddie knew it was a valid point, and he didn’t want to potentially scar his son, so he settled for kissing Buck before rolling out of bed. They got dressed in tandem, slipping kisses as they saw fit, which made their morning routine a little longer than normal. Still, they made good time, and Eddie went ahead to knock on Christopher’s door while Buck headed off to start loading the bags into the car. Christopher, not surprisingly, was already awake, clothes on and sitting on his bed.

“Wow, someone is excited to get started this morning.” The sunny smile his son gave was infectious and Eddie’s own grin widened.

“Is it time to go yet? You and Buck were taking forever,” Christopher teased.

“Buck’s loading up the car now. Grab your shoes and let’s hit the road, we’ll grab breakfast on the way, okay?” Christopher cheered, quickly taking off down the hall, and Eddie heard Buck’s laugh as he double checked that everything was turned off.

Swiping the last bag off the ground, Eddie followed his boys out, locking the door behind him. The trio was on the road quickly after that, stopping to grab coffee and breakfast sandwiches at a nearby Starbucks, before Eddie was merging onto the highway. They had taken Buck’s jeep, to save on gas mileage, and Christopher had already passed along his favorite CD’s to be put into the radio. They were making good time and would be at their destination by mid-morning.

Eddie focused on the road, enjoying the light breeze coming from the sun roof, laughing along to the sing along that was happening between Buck and Christopher. Eddie pulled into the camp ground a little past nine, Christopher pressing his face against the car window, eyes taking in every detail. Buck was gazing at it all in from the passenger seat, responding to each comment Chris came out with, and it made Eddie pleased. This had been his idea, a desire to be the planner for once, and it seemed to be off to a great start. They found their parking spot and started the process of unloading the car.

“Alright. We’ve got plenty of time to get set-up,” Eddie said as he popped the trunk open. “So, let’s gear up and get moving.”

Christopher insisted on carrying his own backpack; Buck took on the chairs, both his and Eddie’s pack, as well as the sleeping bags. Eddie took the tent and the cooler. The path was clear of any rocks or tree roots, which made Eddie a little less nervous. Christopher’s coordination on uneven ground had been improving, but he stumbled occasionally, and then there was his clutz of a husband who always managed to hurt himself.

The camping trip had come up a few months ago, after Christopher asked about it during dinner, telling them about how he saw it done in one of his cartoon shows and wanted to try it out. It had taken some planning, as they needed to figure out when and where to go, as well as getting to right supplies. Eddie, wanting to help pitch in, declared himself the planner, and took to it with such a strong enthusiasm that he didn’t even mind the teasing he got from their friends.

“Here we are!”

Their spot was in a tiny clearing, plenty of shade, but it would also allow them to see the stars at night. There was a tiny fire pit, which they had clearance to use from the park officials, and they went to work setting up their tent. It was a large size, to accommodate all three of them, and after several false starts and mistakes, it was all done and ready to be used. Christopher rolled out the sleeping bags while Buck got the chairs situated. Once that was done, Eddie descended on them with sunscreen, not wanting a repeat of their last beach adventure.

The camp grounds offered hiking trails, a swimming hole, and lots of different scenic views. They started off by going off on one of the trails, which took them along the ridge line, showing off the forests and several streams. It was peaceful, a change of pace for the loud and noisy city, and their little family took their time going along the dirt path. Christopher enjoyed the little plaques posted along the trail, which talked about the different types of animals and plants, and often tried to find whatever they were talking about.

Buck ended up giving Christopher a piggy back ride towards the end of the trail; it was almost four miles long, and Christopher insisted on walking the majority of it. Eddie was taking dozens of pictures, and one video of Buck and Chris trying to imitate the bird noises, sending that one along to the group chat. By the time they got back to their campsite, it was lunchtime, and they helped themselves to peanut butter sandwiches and chips. After that, Christopher wanted to go see the swimming hole, telling them that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go in right away.

Eddie didn’t push him; Christopher wasn’t a fan of big expanses of water, preferring the rehab therapy pool or the smaller pool where he did surf lessons. There was a decent amount of people swimming, families all over the place, and Christopher quickly decided that he would rather wait until tomorrow to try it out. They found a neat playscape, Buck quickly being convinced to get on the play equipment with Chris, and Eddie joined in. Granted, it was harder than he remembered to go down slides or crawl through the tunnels, but it made his son happy so Eddie wasn’t upset.

Eventually, Christopher got tired of the playground, and they headed back. Buck stretched out along the grass, Christopher eagerly piling on top of him, and Eddie lay down next to them. Cloud watching was how they amused themselves, taking turns making each other laugh with the ridiculous creations formed in the sky, content to spend a while not doing much. Eddie went with Christopher to gather firewood and Buck helped him set it up. It didn’t take too long, even if Buck knocked it over twice, and Christopher impatiently waited for it to get darker out.

When it was finally time, Christopher watched avidly as Eddie lit the wood. They roasted hotdogs over the flames, giggling the entire time, only losing one hotdog in an unfortunate accident. Buck had brought along a portable speaker and his old iPod, loaded up with songs they could all be happy with, which helped create a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.

“I can’t eat anymore,” Buck said. Eddie snorted.

“You ate more than Chris and I put together, Ev. Guess you don’t need to hear what I packed for dessert.”

“What did you pack, Dad?” Christopher asked. Whistling innocently, Eddie got up and walked over to the cooler, slowly pulling out three packages. “S’mores!” Christopher exclaimed. “Buck, we get to make s’mores!”

Normally, Eddie wasn’t a big fan of sugar, wanting to keep both his boys healthy, but he couldn’t resist. Spearing three separate marshmallows, Eddie passed them out, already wondering how long it would take before one caught on fire. It didn’t take long; Buck’s started flaming less than a minute later, turning the pale, white marshmallow into a burnt black. Not that his husband seemed to mind, as he assembled the gram crackers and chocolate, before reminding to Christopher to keep turning his for an even toasting.

They each ate a little more than normal, Christopher getting chocolate and marshmallow smeared across his face, and Eddie pulled out a wet wipe. They used the little restroom to use the bathrooms and brush their teeth, changing in the tent, before resuming their positions around the fire. Christopher begged to tell scary stories, which basically consisted of the three of them taking turns talking, neither of the adults wanting to frighten their kid too badly. From that point, it moved to star gazing, Christopher asking what each star was or where a certain constellation was.

Eddie was clueless, only knowing the Big Dipper, but Buck balanced it out, pointing out several other star formations that Eddie was oblivious to. Before long, the fire began to die out and the temperature dropped. After ensuring the fire was completely out, they crawled into their tent, sleeping bags quickly warming them up. It didn’t take long for Christopher to fall asleep, leaving Eddie and Buck still awake, curled up together.

“He had a lot of fun today,” Buck whispered. “I got a lot of pictures from the walk today.” Eddie nodded, aware of his full camera roll, and smiled.

“There’s a part where you can go horseback riding, thought we could try that out tomorrow.” Eddie suggested. Buck lit up, never one to turn down anything with animals, and Eddie knew his soft spot for horses. “Did you have fun today?” He could see Buck’s soft smile in the dark.

“Of course, I did. I got to spend it with my two favorite guys,” Buck kissed him, nothing more than a kiss, as neither of them would risk anything more with Christopher so close. “I’m really happy with everything you planned, by the way, I had no doubts that you would come up with an awesome time.” Eddie rolled his eyes, settling his head on Buck’s chest, and huffed.

“I only messed up planning an outing once, Evan, one time,” Eddie would never live down that night. “But, thank you.”

“Hey,” Buck waited until he looked up. “Everything could go wrong and I would still think that it was a good time. So would Christopher. As long as we get to spend time with you, it doesn’t matter, okay?”

Eddie wasn’t sure what he did to deserve this; an amazing kid and a caring husband, but he wasn’t about to ask too many questions.

“I know. I just want to make you guys happy,” Eddie wanted to give them the world, would give them anything really, but a weekend camping trip would have to do for now.

“We’re happy, babe, you never have to doubt that,” Buck moved them so that Eddie was the little spoon, facing Christopher in the tent, and Eddie melted into the warm embrace Buck provided. Being the little spoon was awesome, especially when your husband was built like a brick house, so Eddie closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t a bad start to their little camping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Just like the previous story collection, this one is going to cap off around 38 chapters. I'm also going to start posting a new chapter fic tomorrow (that one has taken on a life of its own and links up with several chapters I've already posted.) So, read, enjoy, leave a comment if you wish :)


	31. Chapter 31

**98\. Shake**

Eddie double checks that he has everything before leaving the house. He doesn’t want to have to go back if he forgot something. Phone, keys, wallet all set. The guest room was ready to go, already set up with Christopher’s latest drawings that he insisted would cheer Buck up, as well as any medication Buck might need. Locking the front door behind him, Eddie walks quickly to his car, trying not to speed to the hospital.

Buck had been there long enough already; just shy of nine days spent in the hospital, with four of those nine taking place in the ICU. That was an image Eddie hoped to never have again, his best friend surrounded by wires and lines, waking up for brief periods, before slipping back to sleep. He got as good of a parking spot as he could manage and went into the building. The lobby was freezing and Eddie tried to remember if Buck already had a sweatshirt to wear.

The game plan was for Buck to stay with him for the next few days. Buck’s new apartment, the one he had been so excited for, had way too many stairs to manage at this point, and it also left Buck alone for the majority of the day. Eddie was off for tomorrow and part of the following day; Carla had already said she would check in on Buck when he left for work and Christopher was at school. Of course, Buck argued, but they eventually got him to agree.

Eddie pressed the elevator button, stepped inside, and waited until he got to the right floor. He didn’t have any trouble finding Buck’s room, having been there too many times in the past week alone, and found his best friend sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed saved for his shoes.

“Well, look who’s up,” Eddie said as he came to a stop by Buck’s side. The smile he got in return was brittle, and Eddie could see the lines of pain on Buck’s face. “Everything alright?”

“Ya, just hurts a little,” Buck said, eyes going down to look at the sneakers by the chair, and Eddie realized that Buck had been attempting to put them on before he got there.

“Let me give you a hand,” Eddie grabbed the right shoe, maneuvering it so that Buck could slip his foot inside, and did up the laces. “Ready to get out of here?” Eddie noticed the discharge paperwork on the tray table and Buck’s bag was packed on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll be fine at my place, Eddie,” Buck tried, one last attempt to not ‘be a burden’ or whatever other nonsense was floating around in his head, and Eddie leveled a look at him.

“Buck, either you’re coming home with me or I’m staying with you. I know you think you’ve gotta be all macho and shit, but no one is comfortable with leaving you alone right now, not after everything.” Not with the fear of seeing him on the ground like that, and later in this very building, Eddie couldn’t stand it.

“You’ve got enough on your plate as it is,” Buck mumbled and Eddie tapped on Buck’s good knee until he looked up.

“I offered to take you back to my place. I didn’t go toe to toe with Maddie and Bobby to have you try and stand me up. Now, I’m going to fetch a wheelchair, and then we’re going back to my place. Christopher has the entire night mapped out for you.” He found one easily, informed the nurse that Buck was ready to go, and started the process of going back to the car.

Eddie managed the wheelchair and Buck’s duffle; Buck held onto the crutches and tried not to wince too much when the chair was jostled. By the time they got to the car, Buck was paler than before, and getting into the passenger seat was difficult. They did it, after a few false starts, and Eddie put the bag and crutches into the backseat, texting the group chat that Buck was discharged and coming home with him. They chatted on and off, mainly about Christopher, but Eddie could tell Buck was exhausted.

Getting out of the car was probably worse than getting in, Buck no longer having the aide of the wheelchair, and Eddie walked close by to make sure he didn’t stumble. They paused once inside, Buck trembling slightly, and Eddie didn’t care what methods he needed to use to get Buck to take to the pain medication. Thankfully, the walk to the guest room was short, and Eddie eased Buck down onto the mattress.

“I’m going to get you a pain pill,” Eddie said as he dropped the duffle beside the dresser. Buck shook his head.

“It’s not that bad.” Eddie raised an eyebrow, took in the clenched fists and the faint sheen of sweat on Buck’s face, and waited for Buck to continue arguing. “If I take one now, I’ll be out for the rest of the day.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Eddie asked. “Not being in pain and getting the rest you need?” Buck rolled his eyes.

“You said that Chris had the whole night planned. I can’t do anything with him if I’m conked out from the drugs,” Buck explained. Eddie wilted a little, thinking he could have explained it better, and moved to crouch in front of Buck. The white cast, already sporting several signatures, was stark against the comforter and hardwood floor.

“What I meant is that Christopher has different ideas on how to keep you entertained while you rest. It doesn’t have to be tonight.”

Buck looked torn about it, so Eddie decided to let him be for a moment, standing up to go back to the kitchen. He filled a glass of water, reached inside the pharmacy bag, and shook out one pain pill from the bottle. Buck was still in the same spot and Eddie wordlessly held out the glass and pill. Defeated, Buck took it, swallowing down the pill and finishing off the water.

“Let’s get you set up,” Eddie said. Buck didn’t protest the help, allowing Eddie to move him into a comfortable position on the bed. Soon, Buck was struggling to stay awake, the medication and exhaustion catching up with him, so Eddie closed the blinds and double checked that Buck’s leg was suitably supported. Carla would be picking Christopher up from school in an hour or so, and Buck would need to eat when he woke up next, so Eddie stepped out into the living room.

His cabinets weren’t the greatest, and he didn’t want to subject Buck to his cooking, so Eddie figured ordering in would be best for tonight. His phone rang and Eddie saw Hen’s name pop up. Hitting the answer button, Eddie took a seat on the couch, trying to keep his voice down in case Buck wasn’t fully asleep yet.

“Hey, Hen.”

“Don’t you ‘Hey, Hen’, me, Diaz. Why haven’t you answered any of our messages?” Eddie huffed, knowing that there had been quite a few in his inbox, and rubbed his forehead.

“Well, excuse me for trying to make sure Buck didn’t faceplant or something.”

“Oh, god, he didn’t fall, did he?” Hen asked, voice tight, and Eddie could hear Bobby in the background, echoing the sentence. “Eddie, please tell me Buck didn’t fall.”

“He didn’t,” Eddie reassured. “Buck’s fine when he’s up, just slow, he gets winded pretty easily.” He knew that Christopher had plans to show Buck how to best use his crutches and perhaps the short walks would help in rebuilding some of his lost endurance.

“Well, ya, I don’t expect him to be doing laps anytime soon, Eddie.” Hen said. “Look, just keep us in the loop, alright?” Eddie didn’t get mad at the demanding tone; it had been touch and go for a little while, Hen mentioning how eerily similar this was when Chimney got hurt, so Eddie could deal with it.

“I’ll do my best,” Eddie glanced down the hall, antsy that he hadn’t checked on Buck recently, and stood up. “Go, get back to work, we can talk later.”

Buck hadn’t moved much, head tilted back on the pillow, fast asleep for the time being. Eddie moved around the room, transferring the stuff in Buck’s duffle to the dresser, as well as plugging his phone into the charging cord and placing it close by. It didn’t take as long as he would have hoped, so Eddie crept back out to the living room, not wanting to risk potentially waking Buck up. The clock ticked by, and soon Eddie heard the sound of the lock opening, Christopher darting inside followed by Carla.

“Dad!” Christopher’s eyes roamed around the room, searching for Buck, before he came to rest before Eddie. “Is Buck here?”

“Yes, he’s sleeping right now, so let’s try to keep our voices down so he can rest, alright?” Christopher pouted, clearly put out by not being able to see Buck right away, and Eddie ruffled his hair. “Hey, it’s only for a few hours, Chris. Why don’t you get started on your homework, that way you’ll have all night to hang out with Buck, sound like a plan?”

“How’s he doing?” Carla asked as Christopher made his way to the kitchen table. Eddie shrugged.

“He’s quiet. I don’t think it’s completely hit him yet.” That wouldn’t be a good day, when it finally did, and Eddie was already missing Buck’s presence at the firehouse. “It took a little while before he said yes to the pain medication.”

“He didn’t want it?” Carla looked surprised.

“He doesn’t like how they make him feel but I pushed the issue, he was already hurting enough as it was.”

“So stubborn, that boy,” Carla sighed. “I’ll hang around here tomorrow, see if I can talk some sense into him.”

Carla left after that, telling Chris to behave, and Eddie helped his kid with the meager amount of school work he had. Eddie wasn’t shocked that when he went to use the bathroom, his son wasn’t where he left him, and the door to Buck’s room was wide open. Christopher’s crutches were on the floor by the bed and Chris was sitting down next to Buck.

“I’ll draw a giant dinosaur,” Christopher said. Buck’s smile was strained.

“Yeah? Sounds great, Chris.”

“Are we having a little meeting?” Eddie asked, coming to take the free spot on the bed, and Christopher giggled.

“Dad, we need markers, to draw on Buck’s cast.”

“Mijo, maybe we should let Buck rest a little more,” Eddie tried. Buck waved his hand and start to push himself up more on the bed. Eddie jumped in to help, not wanting to put any more stain on Buck’s bruised ribs, or jostle his leg.

“Nah, it’s fine, Eds,” Buck said. “I wasn’t sleeping anymore, I’m not even that tired.” The dark circles under Buck’s eyes told a different story.

“Alright,” Eddie knew better than to argue, especially with Christopher in the room, so Eddie helped his kid off the bed before standing by to help Buck. Christopher went on ahead to find the markers and Eddie followed Buck to the couch. “You’ll let me know if you need a break.”

It wasn’t a request.

“I’ll tell you,” Buck said.

Christopher came back, clutching a fist full of markers, and descended on the Buck’s leg. Eddie turned on the TV, finding a show that all three of them liked, and listened to his son and best friend prattle on. Christopher eventually finished his masterpiece, which did happen to be a dinosaur, and curled up next to Buck. Eddie, seeing no point in separating them, took the other side.

“I’m thinking Chinese for dinner, any takers?”

“Yes!” Christopher cheered. “As long as we get extra egg rolls.”

“I second that,” Buck said, eyes heavy, and Eddie swallowed against the lump in his throat. Things would work out, they had to, Eddie wouldn’t be able to function if they didn’t.

“Alright, one order of Chinese with extra eggrolls coming up.” Eddie hovered the rest of the night, alternating between checking on his kid and friend, trying to reassure himself that everything would be fine. Maybe he could convince Buck to stay longer, if he got Christopher in on it, and the others could help, too…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My little garden is slowly growing, the weather is getting nicer, and I just thought of a really angsty story idea last night. Hope everyone is doing alright, leave a comment if you wish :)


	32. Chapter 32

42\. Add

Chimney wasn’t sure how they were supposed to keep this a secret. Granted, he knew that Maddie wanted to be completely sure, which entailed getting a blood test, since they both knew about false positives and neither of them wanted to start spreading the good news and then find out that they were wrong.

“I’ll go in the morning,” Maddie said, breathless, as she and Chimney continued to kiss on the couch. They had been making out for close to an hour already, too elated to get farther than a few heavy kisses, stopping frequently to exchange beaming smiles. There had been talk of children once, only the fact that they both wanted to be parents, but it was always spoken of as something that was far off for them. Maddie was settling in better than ever and Chimney was finally comfortable asking more out of their relationship.

“You’re pregnant,” Chimney couldn’t stop grinning. “You are currently making our baby.”

“Well, it’s a lot more complicated than that, Howie.”

“I know,” Chimney took the time to seek out another kiss. “I’m a paramedic, babe, I had to study on the stages of pregnancy.” It took them some time to make it back to bed. Maddie felt a little bad about leaving the party so soon; it was clear May didn’t mind, but their other friends weren’t as oblivious.

“You have to work on your poker face,” Maddie knew that it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew. “If you give anything away then everyone will know before I get the results.”

“I’ll try,” Chimney stretched out on the bed, eyes trailing over Maddie’s figure as she changed. “I’m just picturing everyone’s reactions.”

“Maybe wait a few days? May just graduated, I don’t want to steal any of her spotlight.”

“Maybe a week, Eddie’s gonna be a wreck with Christopher off at camp, which means that Buck will be, too, and I can not deal with both of them crying.”

“Chim, you don’t deal with anyone crying,” Maddie reminded him. She hadn’t been there during the brownie incident, but she had heard endless stories about how Eddie had multiple, random bursts of crying, many of which had him also speaking Spanish. Which would have been alright, if any of them spoke it, so it left them playing an awkward guessing game to figure out what he meant. “I don’t want anyone crying. We’ve had too much of that lately.”

Maddie didn’t want to think about the past few months; all the close calls, all the late-night scares, all the minutes spent wondering if something else would go wrong. Her little family, because that was what they were at this point, had dealt with too much lately. May's graduation party was the bright spot in a slew of dark ones and she wanted it to have the moment it deserved.

“That isn’t the only reason, is it?” Chimney asked.

“No, because I think both of us have two people that we would tell before anyone else.” Maddie didn’t need to say their names, and Chimney’s grin also told her that they were on the same wavelength, so she went back to getting dressed.

“So, what, we get the official results, tell them, then tell everyone else?”

“Yes,” Maddie slipped under the covers. “Maybe we tell them on the same day? That way we don’t have to keep them quiet for long.”

“I think your person is going to have a harder time than my person.”

“Which is why we tell them on the same day. Simple workaround.” They both laid back in bed, not saying much, letting the news continue to soak in.

Maddie had often wondered what type of parent she would be, if she ever got a chance, and those types of thoughts had been locked away for so long. Coming back to them felt like she was discovering them for the first time. Doug had never wanted kids. He wanted to be a successful surgeon. Wanted a meek and obedient wife. Children, he preached, would only get in the way of their perfect life. After their second year of marriage, and the resounding fight that left her with two blackened eyes and a broken phone, she stopped bringing it up. Now, though, she could see a life with kids.

Kids that would be a mix of her and Chimney, not a trace of Doug in them.

The following day, she called her doctor, and was then scheduled for a blood test that afternoon. She was jittery as she waited. Maddie didn’t feel any different, and the two tests had been positive, and there was no way that both of them could be a false positive. Then she got the news that made her nerves go haywire. Pregnant. Completely, utterly pregnant. Maddie was elated, beaming, and she took the test results and headed into work. They agreed to tell people once they were out of the first trimester. It took some work, as there were certain things that Maddie couldn’t do anymore, one of them being how to approach sibling nights and night outs with their friends. Maddie brushed off the alcohol, citing that she was trying out a new diet plan when she panicked and couldn't think of anything else, which got a few raised eyebrows.

“You know you don’t need to diet, right?” Buck said one night when he was over. It was hard to lie to her brother, especially when Buck was looking all earnest and concerned, but Maddie remained firm. There was a plan in place.

“I know,” Maddie finished plating up their grilled cheeses. “I’m only doing it to see how it plays out in the short term.”

“Did someone say something to you? Or try to convince you to go on one of those crazy diet plans?” Buck asked. “You do know that none of those are safe.”

“I’m not doing anything harmful to myself, Evan,” Maddie promised, biting into her grilled cheese, one of the few things that appealed to her these days.

“We need to tell them,” Maddie said one night. “I can’t keep tooting the same line; Evan is getting suspicious and I am not prepared to deal with him asking twenty questions fueled by a research binge.”

“And I am? Hen has been breathing down my neck all week. She knows something is up.”

“Look, the package is coming in by the end of this week. We just have to make it that long,” Maddie knew they could do this. It would be worth it in the end.

When she got home from work, Chimney was sitting at the table, package in hand. They opened it, pleased with the results, and both pulled out their phones to text their chosen person. The next morning, Maddie woke up smiling, finding a note that Chimney left her on the coffee maker, informing her that he had stepped out for bagels. Chimney was back with plenty of time to spare before Hen and Buck showed up. It was clear from watching them get out of their cars that neither of them expected to see the other. Maddie let them in, Chimney pointed out the bagels, and the four of them went to work getting their breakfast together. The conversation was easy, if a little weird at the beginning, as it was clear Buck and Hen knew something was up, but just didn’t know how to point it out.

“So,” Hen drawled as she finished her coffee. “Neither of you just randomly decided to invite us over for free food.” Maddie and Chimney exchanged looks before grinning. Maddie sat back and watched as Chimney grabbed the wrapped parcels from the hall closet and placed them in front of Buck and Hen. Hen was squinting at them now, and there was a tiny furrow in Buck’s forehead that meant his brain was going in all different directions, but it didn’t take long for them to open them. Both of them stared down at the unwrapped gift. It had taken some time to find the right one.

Hen’s, which was a soft blue, had ‘World’s best Auntie!’ written in flowy letters.

Buck’s, colored a bright red, read ‘Baby’s favorite Uncle’.

Their friends were speechless, mouths hanging open, and Chimney grabbed Maddie’s hand as they watched the news sink in.

“We found out after May’s graduation party,” Chimney said.

“That was almost two months ago!” Hen gasped.

“I wanted to be sure, sometimes the tests can read wrong, and then we wanted to make sure things were looking alright.” Maddie said.

“They are, right? Everything looks okay?” Buck asked. Maddie couldn’t help but soften, seeing his eyes wide with concern, but also brimming with so much excitement.

“Yeah, everything is going well.” Maddie took a breath. “We wanted you two to be the first people we told. Chim and I are having a baby.”

Even with the shirts in front of them, hearing those words was like seeing the green light, and soon both of them were wrapped up in hugs. Hen was almost bouncing, shaking Chimney with her delight, and Buck was practically beaming.

“I told you it wasn’t a diet thing,” Maddie teased.

“Shut up,” Buck said. “I knew something was up, you never dieted before.”

“Nope, and you won’t start now.” Hen interrupted.

“You’re having a baby.” Buck repeated and Maddie nodded, going in for another hug, which Buck met.

Besides Chimney, Maddie talked about her past and Doug the most with Evan. Her brother had met him first, after all, had noticed that something was off about him even if their parents couldn’t be bothered to. He knew about how badly she wanted to be a mom well before this. Maddie liked to care for people, enjoyed kids for the most part, and couldn’t wait to find that another person to help her raise a new person.

“I’m having a baby,” Maddie confirmed.

“There’s another reason we called you over first,” Chimney redirected the conversation. “Both of us talked about it and decided that, should anything happen, which it won’t,” Chimney rushed to say. “We want you two to be the god parents.” For a moment, no one said anything, Hen and Buck staring at them, before looking at each other, and then back to the couple.

“God parents?” Hen asked. “You sure you want to hand over that sort of power?”

“You’re my best friend, Henrietta,” Chimney replied. “I couldn’t think of anyone else I would want to watch out for my kid.”

“You’re my brother,” Maddie told Buck. “Whatever happens, you’ll take care of this kid, come hell or highwater.” Hen bumped her elbow against Buck’s.

“Looks like we’re going to have a hand in raising this kid, Buckaroo.”

“We are going to spoil the shit out of them,” Buck said, delighted, and Maddie could already envision this little baby getting them to bow to their commands and wishes.

That afternoon, they stopped by the firehouse, making sure that Athena was visiting. Bobby was thrilled, as was Athena, and Eddie clasped Chimney on the back before hugging Maddie.

“Anything we can do to help, you tell us, you hear?” Athena ordered.

She and Chimney might have some painful scars from their pasts, but it was clear that their kid wouldn’t go through that, not like they did. This baby was going to have so many people that loved them, already excited to meet them, and wouldn’t have a want in the world.

“So, the first baby of 118,” Hen said. “Any takers on if we are getting another boy, or a girl to start evening out the score?” Maddie laughed as people started chiming in.

She didn’t care; this kid could be born with four legs and bug eyes and they would still be loved immensely by this little family.


	33. Chapter 33

**50\. Mislead**

Chimney was on a mission. Granted, it was one that was probably going to end up with him owing Hen quite a deal of money to keep quiet, and pleading with Buck to not get overly emotional and give it away, but Chimney would do it. This was all about timing and precision and making it the most god damn romantic thing ever. Maddie deserved it and Chimney wanted to give it to her, especially since the first way of pregnancy hormones had passed and Chimney wasn’t in too much danger.

Getting the ring was the hardest part; Maddie didn’t wear a lot of jewelry, and looking through her small stash revealed no rings that he could base the size off of. He asked Hen, who told him to estimate, and then Karen said that he could tie a string around Maddie’s finger when she was sleeping, so he had something to give to the jeweler. That might have worked, if Maddie wasn’t such a restless sleeper, moving all different ways during the night, her hands kept close to her chest. Chimney tried, lord did he try, but he could quite get it.

So, here he was, stuck at the store, trying to work out which size to get. In the end, he went with one, taking the advice to get it a size up; it was easier to make the band smaller rather than making it bigger. Chimney had to be careful of his phone during this time. He had been sending Hen and Buck pictures of the ring, as well as taking them both one day, and that had been an experience in a half. Hen, because she was actually married and had done the ring shopping before. Buck, because while he had never been married, he had likely spent the whole night researching and was pelting the poor sales lady with endless questions.

“Did she mention what type of ring she would like?” The sales associate asked him. Chimney floundered, mind going blank, and Hen rolled her eyes.

“She’s a 911 operator, doesn’t really like flashy things, maybe something simple?”

“Maddie likes the round stones, not the square cut, they get caught on clothing too often.” Buck said.

“Then these would be some that you can look at,” The lady pulled out a tray. Inside were several rows of different rings, each with their own look, and Chimney felt overwhelmed. How was he supposed to pick out the right one?

“Hey,” Hen nudged his arm. “Take a breath. Maddie’s going to love it no matter what one you pick.”

“Yeah, Chim, pretty sure you could propose with a ring pop and she would love it,” Buck tacked on. Chimney knew that, knew that Maddie didn’t want something over the top, as Doug had done that, getting an overly expensive ring and tying it into a grand proposal.

“What ones do you guys like?” Chimney figured they could start there.

Hen picked out two different ones, each with a silver band, and with one or two different stones inside the metal. Buck liked one in particular, a simple silver one with one larger oval stone, sitting next to one that Hen preferred. Chimney tried to picture them on Maddie’s hand, frowning, before his eyes noticed one ring in the far corner. It was silver and had one circular stone in the middle, bordered by a dozen smaller stones, flat enough to sit comfortably on a finger. Chimney could already see it on Maddie’s hand; when she sipped her coffee, brushed her hand from her face, when she rubbed her slowly swelling stomach.

“That one,” Chimney said, indicating to the sales associate the ring he wanted, eyes light with excitement. “This is the one.”

“Oh, that’s pretty,” Hen commented.

“It’s unique,” Buck said. “I like it.”

It took two weeks for the ring to come in with the right size and Chimney didn’t flinch at the price; Maddie was worth it. So, ring in hand, Chimney was left with his next order of business: actually proposing to his girlfriend. Maddie was bound to find it in the apartment if he tried to hide it. He didn’t want to risk leaving it with one of his friends, as it had the potential to get lost, that and Chimney didn’t like not checking on the black velvet box once or twenty times a day. So, he was resigned to bringing it with him everywhere. And it really was everywhere.

The ring box rested in his car console box. In his locker under his favorite pull-over sweater. Hell, he even took it with him when he jumped in the shower; hidden in the back of the laundry cabinet, where Maddie could never reach. It was bordering on two months since he got it and still no proposing.

“So,” Buck drawled one afternoon as they were washing down the trucks. “Are you going to ask my sister yet? Or am I going to be an uncle first before your brother in law?” Chimney wrung out the sponge before attacking the truck wheels.

“I want to find the perfect time,” He said. “It just hasn’t happened yet.”

“You’ll be waiting for a long time then,” Buck sprayed down the head lights. “Eddie took forever to come around because he insisted on waiting for everything to be perfect.”

“I know. I lost out on some precious spending money because your boyfriend took his sweet freaking time,” Chimney huffed. He knew he should have bet on Buck to make to first move, but no, he had to go and declare Eddie the one to give in first. Not even Christopher pegged his dad for being the one to finally start that relationship.

“If it’s about it being perfect, then you don’t have to worry, Maddie will love it either way. As long as she gets you at the end of it,” Buck said. Chimney tossed the sponge into the bucket, not even caring that some of the water got on his shoes, it felt nice in the warm weather they were dealing with.

“She deserves something special,” Chimney wanted to give her the world. Even before he learned that Maddie was carrying their kid. “Look at it this way, if Eddie decided to propose to you, wouldn’t you want something magical?”

“As long as he put some thought into it and shared it with me, I wouldn’t care,” Buck shrugged. “Chim, I’ve done both ways of showing affection. The big, flashy type and the small, intimate approach. In my experience, less is more, you know?” Chimney thought about it; how Maddie loved their dinner dates at home, but adored karaoke night.

“I just want to do it right,” Chimney insisted. He yelped when Buck lightly sprayed him.

“You will, whenever you actually ask my sister, and then you can tell the story over and over again,” Buck smirked. “The rest of us will only mildly tease you.”

The nerve to bust out the question came around one night a week later. Chimney had gotten home late, it was closer to midnight, and the downstairs lights were still on. Maddie had likely gotten home a few hours prior to him; she wanted to work up until the due date as much as possible.

“Hey,” Maddie got up from the couch and greeted him with a kiss. Chimney melted into it. “How was work?”

“Long,” Chimney tried not to linger on the shift. It had been a lengthy one, filled with difficult calls, and more than once Chimney found himself spacing out on the way back to the station. “No one got hurt, it just felt never ending, you know?”

“Yeah, we had some weird calls today. Josh had a bad one, but he’s alright now, we’re going out to the movies this weekend.”

“That’s good, see if he wants to come over after for food, we can invite some of the others,” Chimney knew he should eat something, but that required more energy than he presently had, so he lugged his body up the stairs to the shower. The hot water felt amazing and it was there that it struck him. Chimney narrowly missed slipping as he got out, quickly throwing on clothes, before grabbing the box. Maddie was on the couch, fingers toying with a piece of a broken pretzel, and Chimney knelt down beside her.

“What are you doing down there? There’s plenty of space,” Maddie laughed. Chimney surged forward and kissed her, heart racing, but knowing that this was their moment.

“I love you,” Chimney stated. “And I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to stay by your side. Through each hospital visit and hostage situation,” Maddie snorted at that. “Each time, we’ve come through it on the other side and it’s made us stronger.” Chimney lifted a hand to rest it against Maddie’s belly. It was too soon to feel movement, but Chimney couldn’t wait, grinning as Maddie’s hand came to cover his. “Now we’ve got a kid on the way and I can’t think of anything else that would make us this happy.” Chimney brought up the ring box and flipped the lid open. Maddie’s eyes were misty as she waited for Chimney to continue. “Except marrying you. So, will you, Madeline Buckley, marry me so we can spend the rest of our lives together?”

“There isn’t anyone else I want to go through a natural disaster or crisis with,” Maddie said, gripping Chim’s hand tightly, before lifting the left hand up. “Yes,” Maddie answered breathlessly. “Yes, I will marry you, Howard Han.”

Chimney laughed, fingers fumbling for purchase to pull the ring out, and slipped it on. A perfect fit.

“It’s gorgeous,” Maddie whispered. “Baby on the way, engaged, we’ve done quite a few life events in the past couple of months.”

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Chimney said. “So long as I can marry you and spend the next however many decades together, I’ll go through a million life events.” Maddie laughed and pulled him up off the floor, kissing him, ring gleaming in the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to get through all the comments sitting in my inbox today...and redo my prompt list since it got longer again. Leave a comment if you want.


	34. Chapter 34

**96\. Snub**

Smokey was a particular cat. She, they eventually discovered that it was a female cat, would only drink very cold water and preferred dry cat food over the wet kind. Sometimes she would play with one of the toys left on her cat tower, but only to bat it onto the garage floor, where someone would inevitably trip on it. And, no, Buck was not being sour about this since he was the last one to trip on the stupid fish toy and go flying face first onto the concrete floor.

Eddie was still her favorite person, as she would often seek him out before and after shifts, purring and wrapping around his ankles. Buck got used to taking a bit longer getting ready to go home if they carpooled, which happened more since they started dating, so that Eddie could have all the time he needed with the cat.

“She’s getting kind of chubby there, don’t you think, Eddie?” Chimney pointed out one day as they were all leaving the station. Smokey, curled up in Eddie’s arms, payed Chim no attention; Eddie, on the other hand, glared at the other man. “Hey, it was just a comment.”

“Smokey doesn’t look any different to me,” Eddie shrugged, scratching under Smokey’s chin, before letting her prance up onto her cat tower. Buck didn’t say anything, not wanting to have to listen to another sessions of Eddie going all ‘cat mode’, stating that Smokey was doing very well as a feral cat turned somewhat domestic, while trapped in the car.

“Do you think she’s looking alright?” Eddie asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“Yeah,” Buck answered honestly. Smokey was looking better; less emaciated, cleaner fur, and wasn’t actively trying to maul them as they walked around outside. Buck had even started to bring out his coffee mugs again since there hadn’t been an incident in a long time. “I mean, we could try taking her to the vet.”

Buck wasn’t sure how well that would work out; Smokey hated everyone except Eddie. Buck soon regretted his words. Less than a week later, there was a cat carrier in the backseat of his jeep, and Buck knew. He knew with a sick sense, one that he associated with when he could tell Christopher was getting into mischief, that there was going to be a cat passenger in his beloved car.

“Why the long face this morning, Buckaroo?” Hen asked as he walked into the station. Eddie, on a one track path to the kitchen, was on a mission for coffee since they were out.

“There’s a cat carrier in my backseat.” Buck knew he was being dramatic, it wasn’t that big of a deal, he had done worse with Argo and taking her to the vet. The problem was that Eddie adored Smokey and this was just one step closer to the cat claiming his boyfriend as her own.

“Oh, boy,” Hen said, face dismayed, and Buck dropped his head onto her shoulder.

“Hen, I’m about to have a temperamental cat in my house, save me.”

“I think you’ll be okay. Besides, Eddie already said he wasn’t going to take Smokey from the station house. She’s comfortable here.” That was true; Smokey had adjusted to all of them, after many, many months.

“Okay, so the house is saved, now what about my car? Are cats smart enough to get out of the carriers?” Buck asked. Argo was clever, able to slip out of her car harness, which had led to some memorable vet visits; his dog hated the vet, and often retaliated on Buck’s socks when they got back to the apartment.

“You tell me, research binger,” Hen chuckled. “I’ll give you some extra band aides before you leave. Sounds like you’ll need them.”

Eddie told him later on that they would be taking Smokey into the vet; somehow, Bobby had gotten approval for the cat to be the station animal, so vet costs were covered, meaning all Eddie had to do was bring her in. Buck had been in tight spots before; earthquakes, tsunami’s, and plenty of fires. Throw in a cat, who couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen pounds soaking wet, and suddenly he’s a new probie who can barely manage to work the hose settings.

Eddie, who had taken the easy job of holding the cat carrier, was watching by as Buck grabbed Smokey, using the blanket as a barrier to her claws.

“Be sure you don’t hurt her,” Eddie reminded him for the twentieth time. Buck resisted swearing. Smokey, who had gone full on demonic, was hissing, and Buck did swear when her claws found purchase in his arm. Somehow, he got the cat into the carrier, the two of them glaring at each other. Whatever truce they had before this was gone. Buck was fully expecting Smokey to target him for the next month, at least, and mourned the fact that he would have to start leaving his coffee mugs in the car again.

The vet was nice, a delightful older man who didn’t bat an eyelash at the pissed off cat on the table, running through the exam.

“Well,” He said, smiling, as he gently ran his hands over Smokey. She had calmed down some after receiving a handful of treats. “It looks like this little girl is expecting some kittens.”

If Eddie was acting like a crazy cat person before, he had taken it one step further now.

The food and water were checked almost obsessively. Smokey was given more hidey holes around the station. It was hard to say when Smokey would give birth, but Eddie was on high alert, and Buck had already seen him tacking up fliers about kitten adoptions.

“Is he planning on taking one of the kitten’s in?” Bobby asked as they spotted another paper flyer on the wall in the locker room.

“Well, he’s cleaned out some space in the laundry room, and I found a small bag of kitty litter,” Buck said. “Maybe a kitten won’t be so bad.”

Three weeks later, they had some new additions; seven new kittens, all healthy, sporting furs in patches of grey and white. Smokey was still hesitant around the others, allowing Eddie close, so he took on the brunt of care. Not that the others didn’t try when asked. Buck and Chimney hadn’t made it farther that reaching out to change the water in the box before getting swiped at.

“So, I was thinking,” Eddie started one afternoon. “And, it’s alright if you say no.” Buck looked up from loading the dishwasher.

“That’s not ominous at all,” He said. Eddie rubbed his neck.

“Well, you know how I’ve been putting fliers up for the kittens? All but one has been adopted, the cute little grey one, no one has claimed him yet.” It was a boy kitten, a little grey and white speckled guy, and Buck knew that Eddie had gotten pretty attached to him.

“Uh-huh,” Buck knew where this was going, had seen it from the moment they found out that Smokey was pregnant, and had slowly been gathering materials.

“Well, if you were willing, I was thinking that maybe we bring him home. Argo could even come by the station one day and meet him.” Eddie rambled. Buck closed the dishwasher door and grabbed Eddie’s hand, leading him to the hall, ignoring his questions as he walked into the laundry room.

Buck opened the far closet door and gestured to the lowest two shelves. There were cat food and toys, a box of another cat tower, as well as the litter box, a fresh bag of kitty litter to join the one Eddie had already purchased, and food specifically made for kittens.

“Oh.” Eddie said.

“I know that Smokey will always be your favorite,” Buck couldn’t resist the light dig. “I’m not opposed to it. Christopher helped pick out the stuff and I might have already brought Argo by? She’s pretty chill with him, mainly wants to keep licking and sniffing him.”

“You’re on board with this?” Eddie asked, eyes wide, and Buck tugged him in so that he could hug the other man.

“Yes. I want you to have a furry body to cuddle with, too. It’ll be nice to not be the only crazy pet owner in this family anymore.” Buck joked. Eddie relaxed, pleased that Buck had said yes, and bent down to start looking at all the cat stuff.

A few weeks later, when the kittens were ready to go off to their new homes, Eddie brought the new kitten by the vet. Besides a few shots, the little guy was in perfect health, and christened with the name of Bandit. While the kitten was initially shy in the house, he soon blossomed, taking to his new family. Buck might have been on shaky ground with Smokey, who had only chased him around the parking lot twice since the vet incident, but her son was a delight.

Bandit, who loved to curl up on their chests, and chirped at them as he followed them around the house, quickly grew on Buck. Christopher loved it, now having two animals to play with, and Argo bore Bandit’s playful attitude with patience. Eddie, just as Buck suspected, loved having Bandit. The kitten preferred him, resting on his stomach if Eddie was on the couch or bed, weaving between his legs as he walked around, purring in the middle of the night as he slept up by Eddie’s head.

Buck didn’t mind, it made Eddie happy and wear that soft expression that Buck loved more often, even if Bandit woke up him in the middle of the night, eyes glowing, inches away from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I currently writing a one shot where Buck gets bitten by something venomous? Yes.   
> How about another chapter fic where there may not be drag queens and all our boys in heels? Yes.  
> Have I slept more than a handful of hours in the past few days and most of my writing binges are insomnia fueled? YES.
> 
> So, leave a comment or kudos if you want! All comments sitting in my inbox will be responded to by the end of today :)


	35. Chapter 35

**85\. False**

The first thing that tipped Buck off that something was wrong happened when Eddie knocked on his door. Christopher walked past him, ignoring his hello, and threw himself on the couch. Buck, blinking, looked at Eddie for an explanation, and his best friend shrugged.

“It’s been kind of a rough morning,” Eddie kept his voice low. “I thought he might just be tired from yesterday, it was a PT day, but he was still acting like this after.”

“Did something happen at school?” Buck asked. Christopher was rarely in a bad mood, Buck wasn’t that disillusioned to think that he never had a bad day, but to see it happen was hard.

“He won’t tell me. Anytime I try to ask him, he just walks away or yells at me to stop asking,” Eddie looks lost, eyes worried, and both of them look over to the couch where Christopher is sat. He hasn’t opened his backpack to show off the toy or pictures he often brings over to Buck’s apartment. There are no giggles, no asking to watch cartoons, just Chris sitting on the couch, arms crossed, glaring into the wall.

“I’ll try to talk to him,” Buck says, trying to put Eddie at ease.

“Thanks,” Eddie runs his hands through his hair, and judging from the wild look he’s sporting it’s been done often this morning, leaving Buck to give him a half smile. “The normal stuff is the bag, let me know if something happens or-“

“Eddie, we’ll be alright. I can handle a cranky kid for the day,” Buck knows that Eddie can, and will, worry about this until it’s solved. It’s just what he does, especially where Christopher is concerned, which won’t do him any good since he’s working all day.

“It’s just been a long time since he’s acted like this. He doesn’t normally act out unless something is wrong,” Eddie is starting to get that caged look, like he did when he first introduced Christopher to them, and Buck can’t stand it. Eddie’s an amazing dad.

“Sometimes it doesn’t have to mean that something happened. Kids have bad days, it happens,” Buck knows all about acting out, he knows that he wasn’t an easy kid to deal with, and Christopher is a cake walk compared to the stuff he got into.

“I need to get going,” Eddie glances down at his watch. “Chris! I’ve got to go to work, mijo, be good for Buck, okay?” There’s no reply and Eddie’s face falls. “I love you.”

There’s a pause, then a very soft, “Love you, too, Daddy.”

Buck tries to give his most reassuring smile as Eddie leaves, shutting the door behind him, and for a moment he feels bad for the rest of their crew; an anxious and worried Eddie is no fun to dead with.

“Hey, Chris,” Buck takes a seat on the couch, not directly next to the kid to give him space, and tries to catch his eye. “What do you want to do today?” Christopher continues to be silent and Buck counts to ten in his head before continuing. “We could go to the park, it’s nice out, maybe even feed the ducks like we did last time.” Still nothing. “How about the library? Your dad said that you’ve been really into reading about different safari animals, we could go check out a few new books,” Buck offers.

“I don’t want to do anything,” Christopher snips. Buck nods slowly, beginning to see some of the attitude that Eddie had warned him about.

“Well, that’s okay, we don’t have to go out if you don’t want to,” Buck says. “There’s still that puzzle you were working on last time you came over or we could find a movie to watch.”

“Puzzles are dumb. And so are movies,” Christopher kicks his legs out, one of them briefly whacking the coffee table, and Buck frowns.

“Okay,” Buck considered his next words carefully. “Why do you think that those things are dumb now? You seemed to really enjoy them before.”

“Puzzles are for idiots! And only babies do them and stupid kids like me!” Christopher yells. Buck’s eyes go wide at that statement, and then widen in alarm when Christopher starts to cry, totally out of his depth with this.

“Christopher, you are not stupid,” Buck leaves his spot on the couch, going to crouch in front of Christopher, who is crying in earnest now. “You’re so smart, buddy, one of the brightest kids I know! And puzzles are not for idiots; anyone can do them.”

“I don’t care!” Christopher takes his book bag, which had been resting beside him untouched since he sat on the couch, and promptly chucks it across the room where it lands with a thud.

When Eddie started to trust Buck more, leaving Christopher in his care more often, he had given him some ground rules for what to do when Christopher misbehaved or got upset. Buck wasn’t entirely sure which one he was dealing with, yet, but he was leaning more towards upset at the moment. Upset over what was still a mystery.

“Christopher,” Buck placed his hands over Chris’s arms, trying to get him to take a breath and calm down, before they were harshly shoved off. “Buddy, I know you’re upset about something, and I can’t help unless you calm down for me.”

“N-No, you don-don’t get it!” Christopher cries. “No one do-does!”

“I’m going to get you a tissue and some water,” Buck tells him, sitting back on his heels. “Do you want to come with me or stay on the couch?”

“Just g-go away!” Christopher sobs.

Buck backs off, respecting Christopher’s wishes, and goes to grab the box of tissues from the bathroom and a chilled juice box from the fridge. Christopher is sniffling by the time he gets back. Buck places the tissues next to him, popping the straw into the juice box, and leaves it on the table where Christopher can take it.

“Do you want me to sit with you?” Buck tries not to take it personally when Chris shakes his head, not meeting his eyes, and Buck walks over to the kitchen.

For the next ten minutes, the only sounds in the apartment are occasionally sniffling from the couch and Buck tapping his fingers anxiously on the counter. He pulls out his phone, debating texting Eddie, resolving to contact him soon if Christopher doesn’t calm down. Once twenty minutes have passed, Buck walks back to the couch, where Christopher is clutching an empty juice box and looking pretty miserable against the cushions.

“Are you feeling a little better, Chris?” Buck fully expects Christopher to start crying again, as the little boy drops the plastic pouch, flinging himself into Buck’s chest. “Hey, hey, it’s alright, I’m not mad.”

To his horror, Buck was right, watching as Christopher starts to cry anew. This time around, Christopher stays in his lap, tears soaking his shirt, and Buck tries to comfort him as best he can. Rubs his back, rocks from side to side, generally tries to ride it out and be there for the boy. It takes longer for Christopher to calm down, and he doesn’t fuss when Buck takes a tissue to dry off some of the tears, blowing his nose himself.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Buck asks kindly. They’re in an awkward position on the couch, Buck halfway reclined on the corner, Christopher sprawled out on top of him, legs hanging off the side.

“Am I in trouble?” Christopher’s glasses are foggy and Buck grabs another tissue to clean them.

“Why would you be in trouble?”

“I yelled at you,” Christopher says. “An-and threw my bag on the ground. And shove-ed you away.”

“You did yell, and the throwing and shoving wasn't nice, but you were upset,” Buck tells him. “Did you mean to do those things?” Christopher quickly shakes his head.

“No! You’re my Buck, I didn’t want to be mean.”

“Then I’m not mad,” Buck reiterates. “What do you think you should do?”

“Say sorry,” Christopher wraps his arms around Buck’s neck, face still damp in some places. “I’m sorry, Buck.”

“It’s okay, buddy, I know you didn’t mean it.” They don’t speak for a few minutes, Christopher keeping his face tucked against his shoulder, Buck rubbing his back.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Buck starts. “Something is bothering you, Chris, and I’ll listen if you want to talk about it.”

“Do you think I’m weird?” Christopher askes. Buck frowns.

“Of course not! Christopher you’re awesome, nothing about you is weird,” He waits a beat. “Did someone say something to you?” Christopher brings a hand down and traces the seam line on his shirt.

“One of the older kids, he said I was a weird kid because I walk funny. He made fun of my lunch box.” Buck knew what it looked like; it had a picture of Christopher’s favorite character from the cartoon show he liked to watch.

“I bet that didn’t feel good,” Buck knew kids could be cruel, recalling some incidents in elementary school, and Buck knew it had to be harder for Chris. “Is that why you’ve been upset yesterday and today?”

“I yelled at Daddy, too,” Christopher’s lip trembled and Buck wrapped him up in another hug, desperate to stop any further tears, relieved when Christopher melted into his hold.

“Your dad is worried about you, just like I am.”

“He’ll be sad if I tell him,” Christopher said. “He doesn’t like it when people make fun of me. Because of th-the cerebal pal-lasy.”

“Did you know I told your dad that I would try and make you feel better today when he dropped you off? He was really worried about you,” Buck explained gently. “I’m glad you told me, bud, and I think you’ll feel better if you talked to your dad, too.”

“Even if it makes him sad?”

“It might make him sad,” Buck affirms. “I think we’ll be able to cheer him up after.” Christopher went boneless on him for several minutes, hand rubbing over his shirt, and Buck waited him out.

“I’m going to tell Daddy,” He says into Buck’s shoulder. “About the older ki-id and how he made fun of me.”

“That sounds great,” Buck brushesa strand of hair off Christopher’s forehead. “What else can you do if this happens again?” Buck didn’t want to tell Christopher that the teasing would always be there, might even get worse some days, transitioning from picking on Christopher’s interests and focusing more on his disability.

“I can tell my teacher,” Christopher says. Buck smiles at him.

“I think that’s a solid plan,” Buck shifts them to Christopher is sitting up a bit more. “I think you are an amazing kid, Chris, the best one I know.”

“Even with the cerebral palsy?” Christopher asks, hesitant, and Buck doesn’t even think before wrapping him up in another hug, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“Especially with the cerebral palsy.” Christopher sags against him.

“Can we go to the park?” Christopher asks like Buck will say no. Buck stands, still holding onto Christopher, who trusts Buck not to let him fall.

“Yeah, we can go to the park,” Buck grins when Christopher smiles, the first one of the day, and steers them towards the bathroom so Christopher can clean off his face.

They make another stop so that Buck can change his shirt and then he sets Christopher down on the main floor with instructions to get his shoes on. Buck grabs the stuff they need, texting Eddie with one hand, letting him know that Christopher is feeling better but does have something to talk to him about when he comes time for pick-up. They go to the park. The two of them have a blast on the playground equipment, take a walk around the pond and watch the ducks, and Buck buys them both ice cream, listening to Christopher tell him all about lions and elephants. It won’t fix the teasing issue and Buck hates that he can’t solve it completely. Christopher is smiling now, mouth sticky with chocolate ice cream, talking a mile a minute about African animals, no longer looking miserable. Buck will count it as a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally caught up with comments! Stay safe and healthy peeps :)


	36. Chapter 36

**20\. Share**

Buck wasn’t sure how it started. Actually, no, he did know how it started out. It was never good for anyone when Chimney walked into the station with a certain grin plastered to his face; that grin spelt trouble and Buck, who was probably the most qualified for causing it, was familiar with it. So, Buck kept a wide berth between them, hoping that someone else would become a target, and did not try to hide out in the kitchen under the guise of helping Bobby.

“You know what I was thinking this morning,” Chimney said as he walked over to the counter, plucking Buck’s coffee out of his hands, and downing half of it. Buck, who hadn’t even gotten a sip yet, glared. “We’ve got enough land space at the condo that Maddie and I were thinking of setting up a tiny garden.”

“Okay,” Buck answered slowly, not sure where this conversation was going, gratefully accepting the new cup Bobby handed him.

“Why the sudden interest in gardening?” Bobby asked innocently, is if Chimney didn’t have the worst green thumb out of all of them.

“Maddie wanted to try it out. You’ve got experience with those sorts of things, don’t you, Buck?”

“Meaning what, Chim?”

“Well, a garden needs a scarecrow, maybe you could help put one together. Maddie said you did a good job of it last time.” And just like that, Chimney was no longer his favorite brother-in-law. Screw the fact that he was the only brother-in-law that he had.

“I’d watch your next words carefully,” Buck warned, feeling singled out as Bobby laughed and set aside his breakfast to pay full attention to the scene in front of him, and Chimney smirked.

“Did you know, Bobby, that our little Buck tried to help Maddie make a scarecrow once. Got it all set up and showed it off, only for Maddie to discover that he had used her clothing as the base for it.”

“It was from the donation box in her room! She even told me I could use it,” Buck sputtered.

“It gets better,” Chimney continued, Bobby now chuckling as Buck blushed. “Buck insisted on putting it in the ground himself, finding the only ground bees’ nest in the entire yard, sending the two of them fleeing into the house.”

“So, that’s why you hate bees so much,” Bobby had always wondered; Buck wasn’t terrified of many things, but throw a bee into the mix, and the man was booking it as far away as he could get.

“I was nine,” Buck tried to salvage the situation. “Did Maddie tell you about the time she had to go to the emergency room over a package of M&M’s?” Chimney paused in his laughing and looked intrigued. Buck, not feeling the slightest bit guilty, okay maybe a tiny bit guilty, but not enough to not get some sort of revenge for that story. They were coming back from a call and Buck checked his phone. Maddie had texted him.

>>> Maddie: YOU TOLD CHIMNEY ABOUT THE M&MS?!

<<< Buck: To be fair, you started this with the scarecrow story. You should have expected it.

>>> Maddie: I had to tell him. We were talking about a garden, that story was bound to come out eventually.

<<< Buck: Then I don’t see a problem.

>>> Maddie: The scarecrow one was tamer.

<<< Buck: You got saline water rinsed through your nose. I got chased by a swarm of bees that left me with lingering trauma.

>>> Maddie: It was not bad enough to give you lasting damage.

<<< Buck: Still terrified of bees. You can eat M&M’s no problem.

If the manic typing on his phone, and the giggling from the other end of the couch made by Chimney annoyed anyone, then those people kept it to themselves. It had been a long time since either of them had talked about their childhoods, in such a joking manner, and for the first time other people that cared about them wanted to genuinely know. So, with that the line had been drawn, and over the next few weeks the rest of their friends were privy to several stories from their childhoods.

Chimney shared the M&M story over dinner that night; how Maddie, sneaking candy at night, didn’t want to get caught and decided that rather than hiding the candy or eating it quick, stuffing the candies up her nose would be better. Which didn’t help when she couldn’t breathe and was rushed to the ER, only for the nurses to find out it was chocolate. Maddie, not one to let things lie, busted out a few other tales.

The one about how Buck, a few months shy of turning fourteen, had decided to sneak out and in his haste, got his pants snagged on the window screen, causing him to knock everything off his dresser and nearly fall out the window on his head.

That led to Buck telling them about Maddie’s one attempt at dying her hair; the box advertised a warm auburn color. Maddie, not reading the instructions, claiming she could do it easy, ended up with bright orange hair.

The others loved it. It wasn’t that Buck was secretive about his childhood, it just never came across as particularly interesting to him, so he never bothered. Sure, if pressed he would talk about it, and some of the stories didn’t hurt to reminisce about. Eddie, who had listened avidly to each round of teasing, was slowly asking Buck to share more. Of course, Buck was never good at denying his boyfriend anything, it had to be a Diaz trait.

Buck talked about the time he learned to ride roller blades. How he insisted that he could do it, left Maddie on the bottom of the hill, and went down himself. Only he didn’t know how to work the brakes on the roller blades and ended up crashing in Maddie, using his sister as a human road block.

“Both of us ended up with some interesting bruises,” Buck thought back. Maddie wouldn’t have called them interesting.

“You left me with a bruise on my forehead, on picture day, of all days!”

“You gave me a buzz cut one year for picture day! I don’t want to hear it,” Buck argued. Eddie and Chimney, whose eyes had been going back and forth like they were watching a tennis match, silently viewed the conversation.

“It wasn’t that bad, Evan.”

“Maddie, I love you, but a career as a hairdresser is not in your future.”

“It was fine!”

“I was missing patches of my hair, Maddie, and I couldn’t wear a hat to cover it up.”

Of course, the stories eventually stemmed over to questions to pictures. Buck didn’t have a lot of childhood belongings that he took when he left Pennsylvania, not wanting to carry excess baggage, except for a small photo album. All of those pictures had been taken from other photo books, many of which hadn’t been touched in years, so Buck didn’t feel bad claiming them for himself. Maddie had done the same thing, somehow managing to keep it safe all these years, even through her marriage to Doug.

Pictures of the two of them as kids floated around the group chat before long. Buck could remember some of them being taken. The one of him and Maddie outside the old elementary school on the first day of third grade. Another of him and Maddie before she went off to one of the rare school dances. Her hair was longer than, Buck even found one with her still having the orange coloring, and his was wildly curly, not yet using hair gel to plaster his curls against his scalp.

“I still can’t believe you went around for months with orange hair,” Hen said. “I would have been mortified.”

“I was, trust me, I just didn’t have the means to fix it,” Maddie could laugh about it now. “My nickname for that year was carrot top. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see my brown hair coming through again.”

“I think you actually started crying that night,” Buck mused. “You came barreling into my room, talking a mile a minute, and frantically pointing to your hair.” No one pointed out that all the pictures were of the two of them; Buck was grateful for it, not sure how to word the fact that he hadn’t been lying when he said Maddie practically raised him.

“I was not frantic.”

“You were loud enough that our neighbor called over to check in on us.”

“Mrs. Claudin’s was a noisy woman, she probably thought that we were getting into trouble or something.”

“Hey, in her defense, we could have been.”

Maddie was the golden child, if there was one in their family, not sneaking out or getting into trouble at school. Buck was the troublemaker. He enjoyed biking around his town, spending his time outside riding on the streets, guided by streetlight, soon having dozens of places to go to when it got too tense or rough at home. By the age of sixteen Buck was able to slip in and out of his house undetected and how to spin a lie to ease any concerns from his teachers.

Sure, Maddie had her moments. Such as the time when she went to a house party, telling her little brother, in all his ten-year-old glory and who didn’t completely understand how teenagers worked, that it was for a book club meeting. At nine o’clock at night. Like Buck said, he wasn’t totally aware of how teenagers worked until he became one. Which transitioned to Buck finally caving and telling his friends, yes, he had gone to high school parties, and yes, he had been a wild teenager.

Athena had given him one patented Mom look, laser vision keeping Buck from sneaking off to the living room where everyone else was, as he waited for to speak.

“Were you safe?” Athena finally asked, surprising Buck, as that hadn’t been what he expected.

“Yeah, as safe as I could be.” He watched his drinks, didn’t accept any pills offered to him, double and triple checked for consent with those that wanted sex.

“That’s not what I meant,” Athena tossed him a towel and gestured to the wet dishes. Wordlessly, Buck started drying the plates. “You know the first thing I noticed when this whole thing started?”

“No?” Buck hedged. Athena shot him an unimpressed look as she scrubbed a frying pan.

“In all of your stories, there is not one mention of your folks,” Athena rinsed the suds off and passed it off to him.

“Well, you’ve met my dad, he wasn’t exactly winning father of year award.” Buck hadn’t been lying when he told Eddie, all those years ago, that he was the best father there was. For each bad thing his dad had done, Eddie had twice as many examples showing how good of a parent he was, even if the other man didn’t believe him. Buck could keep reminding him; he knew something about not believing people when they told him stuff.

“Honey, no parent thinks they deserve that award,” Athena said. “I don’t think I was that great of a mom, same with Michael.”

“Harry and May turned out great,” Buck argued. Athena smirked, handed off another dish, and Buck pressed the towel along the china to soak up the water.

“I’ll be sure to send them both your way the next time those hormones surge and cause them to misbehave. Buck, some parents might not be the best, but most would notice if their kid was sneaking out of the house multiple times for hours on end.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal. Not like he would notice,” Buck brushed off, thinking back to the endless beer bottles that his dad would down, unlikely to find the remote, let alone his own kid. Athena looked like she wanted to continue to argue, and she would have, had she not seen the slightly pleading look in Buck’s eyes and the hunch to his shoulders that often accompanied any discussion of his parents.

“Are there any other stories about you two? Ones that haven’t been shared yet?”

Buck heard the question for what it was: share something you find happy about your past with me, please?

“Did I ever tell you about Maddie teaching me how to drive?” Buck started, Athena quietly listening, as Buck told her the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This upcoming week is going to be busy: moving the last of my stuff out of my old apartment, two job interviews, and going in for dental work. Great times. Hope everyone else is doing alright! Leave a comment if you wish :)


	37. Chapter 37

25\. Custody

Christopher held his breath as he eased his bedroom door open. He hadn’t forgotten to take his markers back to his room last night. They had watched a movie, the newest Star Wars, since he and Dad had seen them all together and Buck hadn’t seen any. The package of markers had been left on the table, pushed aside so he could eat dinner, and then forgotten as they started the movie. Dad normally didn’t let him leave a mess, he liked order, and Christopher was used to picking up after himself. Only, last night they had all made dinner together.

Buck had chopped everything up, Dad had filled the pots with hot and placed them on the stove to boil, and Christopher had gotten to add all the spices and assist with stirring. It had been a lot of fun, all three of them laughing, and Christopher never wanted it to stop. In the beginning, he got to see Buck a few times a week, usually if Dad was working another shift or had to help out Abuela; Buck would pick him up from school or therapy if Dad couldn’t. Then, when Dad and Buck got to be better friends, like best friends, Buck was over more often.

They started movie nights. They would go out to the park. Sometimes, when Dad was just too stressed and needed time alone in the house to get things done, Buck would show up, talking quietly to Dad, before swinging Christopher up in his arms and driving them both off to do something fun. They would drive in Buck’s jeep, windows down, and he got to chose the music. Christopher is glad that they moved to LA. Sometimes, he misses Texas, but not for very long.

He misses seeing his cousins, and seeing his grandparents, though that has changed for him too as he has started to notice that things between his dad and them aren’t always good. Here, he’s got Abuela and Tia Pepa. There are his friends from school. And he’s got Buck. So, today, Christopher is on a mission and it’s going to work. It’s hasn’t been long since Dad finally asked Buck to marry him. That had taken forever, to the point where even Abuela was beginning to grow tired of waiting, causing Christopher to giggle as his Dad got scolded and teased when they went over without Buck.

Even their friends from work were getting impatient; Mrs. Athena said it was because the two of them were thick headed, Mr. Bobby said it was because sometimes adults don’t see what is right in front of them. He tries to make sure his crutches aren’t too loud as he walked down the hallway. His markers are still there, grouped together on the table, and Christopher quickly grabs them and turns back to his room. It’s Sunday, which means that Dad will likely sleep in for a little longer. However, Buck won’t, since Sunday is his off day, and it’s also the day that they make breakfast together.

There’s probably less than an hour before Buck wakes up and comes looking for him. Roughly forty minutes later, he’s done; there is marker ink along his hands, smudged now, but not on the actual project. Carefully, he slips it under his pillow, and heads back out into the hall. Christopher debates for a few moments before going right, towards the other bedroom, and pushing open the door. He can still hear the soft snores from both the men sleeping on the bed, noticing his Dad first, who has his back to the door, and the top of Buck’s head.

Christopher likes this arrangement better; before, Buck used to sleep on the couch, which was hard especially when nightmares would come. Then, he and Dad started dating, and Christopher had a lot more fun waking them up in the morning. Carefully, he creeps further into the room, until he’s at the edge of the bed. This close, he can tell that his Dad has an arm draped over Buck, leaving just enough space for someone to squeeze in between them. Quietly, the crutches get leaned against the bed, and Christopher climbs onto the mattress.

He doesn’t even have to think about where to place his hands or feet; he’s done this so many times now that it takes only seconds before he’s right where he wants to be. Dad shifts, eyes cracking open, and Christopher smiles, snuggling in under the blankets.

“Chris?” His dad is not a morning person, not by any stretch.

“Morning, Dad.”

“It’s early. You okay?”

“Yep!” Christopher chirps. “Buck, we need to make breakfast.”

Christopher knows his dad takes a minimum of ten minutes before he’s ready to talk in anything more than short sentences. Buck, on the other hand, doesn’t take that long until he’s up; when he’s sick or tired, he takes twice as long as Dad, but work had been fine yesterday and Buck isn’t sick. An arm moves on the bed, carefully pining him against Buck’s chest, and he laughs. Buck gives awesome hugs. The kind that suck you in and make you feel safe. Christopher loves it, lets himself relax in the hold, before patting Buck’s arm.

“Can we make waffles?” He likes pancakes the best, and his Dad loves eggs, but waffles are Buck’s favorite.

“Sure, Chris,” Buck yawns.

Dad groans, moving to cover his head with the pillow, and Christopher gently pulls and pushes Buck from the bed. They leave Dad to sleep some more, Christopher bolting for the kitchen, with Buck trailing behind. Christopher makes it there first, eagerly pulling out the bowls and measuring cups, even if the recipe is memorized by both of them for how often they make it. Buck, rubbing his face in an effort to wake up some more, reaches up high to get the mix, before quickly making a pot of coffee.

“Can I try some?” Christopher askes. Buck, anticipating the question, smiles and ruffles his hair.

“Nice try, Chris, but you know the answer,” He says, opening his mouth to continue and grinning when Christopher recites it with him. “Not until college.”

Christopher measures out all the dry ingredients, Buck takes care of the eggs and milk, not talking much in between the different steps. By the time Dad shuffles out into the kitchen, looking a little less zombie like than when Christopher first saw him, there’s coffee and most of the batter has been cooked.

“Well, look who finally rolled out of bed,” Buck leans down so that Dad can kiss him. Christopher, who doesn’t see the appeal of kissing at all, doesn’t poke fun at them like he normally would; before, he’d scrunch his nose, stick out his tongue, even saying “Yuck” while laughing.

“Jerk,” Dad moans against Buck’s shoulder. “Coffee?”

“In the pot, ready to go, grab some and go sit. Breakfast should be ready soon.”

“Dad, can we go out today?” Christopher knows that they have the time. Everyone’s schedules are taped to the fridge, so nothing is missed, and everyone is accounted for.

“We have to go grocery shopping,” Dad says, sipping the coffee, and Christopher wonders for a brief moment if he could sneak a sip or two. Maybe later, Buck always leaves a little left in his mug, and Christopher could try some during the morning school rush.

“Something fun,” Christopher corrects and grabs the silver wear from the drawer when Buck prompts him. “We haven’t had a family day in a while.” They had one last week, when they went to the local park, and then ended up spending the afternoon in the shopping center.

“I don’t know, mijo, we’ve got a list of errands to run and you’ve got that project to finish,” Dad is the stern parent, always has been, and it might be because of the army or because it was just the two of them for the longest time, Christopher isn’t sure.

“Please? We can do the errands quick and Buck was helping me with the project,” Christopher pleads. It won’t take long to finish, seeing as how all that is left is to glue everything onto the poster board, and Chris can see that Dad is wavering. So, he turns to the other adult there, who can help seal the deal.

“All that needs to be done is grocery shopping and laundry, Eds,” Buck says, placing the platter of waffles down, and slaps two down on Christopher’s plate before he can even grab his fork. “We could go after breakfast and then do the shopping on the way home.”

“And the project?” Dad is so close to giving in now. He isn’t being mean about it, it’s all really just a routine at this point, and Christopher smiles as he drenches his food in syrup.

“Can be finished up tonight. Getting out would be good for us.” There’s a pause as Dad takes another drink, cuts up his waffle, and then he sighs.

“Which park are we going to, Chris?” And like that, Christopher knows everything is going according to plan.

Breakfast is fun, and before long the food is gone, and Christopher is rushing to get ready. He’s done and back in the living room before either of the adults are; the shower is running, and Christopher can hear movement from behind the door. His backpack, as well as the special card tucked carefully inside, rests on the floor. Dad is out first and he presses a kiss to the top of his head.

“What’s got you all keyed up today, huh?”

“Nothing,” Christopher deflects. “I’m just happy.”

Dad smiles, looks a bit puzzled, but doesn’t ask for more. Buck comes out a few minutes later and then they are off. Dad drives, leaving Buck to turn on the radio, and soon the pair of them are singing to the latest pop song. The park isn’t busy yet when they pull up. Christopher is eager, rushing Buck and Dad along, making sure he doesn’t accidently trip either of them with his crutches. It happened once to both of them already and he doesn’t want to risk it happening today.

“Where to, Chris?”

“Over by the benches,” Christopher trudges on ahead, spying the twin looks from Dad and Buck, and makes his way along the pavement.

There is a section of benches by the trail path, covered by shade, and it’s one of his favorite spots at the park. Any time he’s gotten hurt on the playground, he’s been brought here to get cleaned and bandaged up. Any serious talks that have happened between him and his Dad, and then between him and Buck, and then all three of them, have happened here.

“I made you something,” Christopher tells Buck when they are sitting down. Buck looks curious as Christopher reaches into the backpack. The card is closed, decorated colorfully on the top, and Buck lights up as he takes it. Buck loves all of his drawings. He keeps some in his locker at work, there are some on the fridge, and Christopher knows that the ones he made Buck a couple years ago are carefully stored. Without a doubt, Christopher knows that this one will also be a treasured piece.

Buck opens the card and reads it, eyes going soft, then his mouth drops a little bit. Dad, who has been sitting beside him all this time and hasn’t once tried to look over Buck’s shoulder and peek, looks more that curious now.

“Christopher, this is,” Buck stutters.

“What does it say?” Dad asked. Buck swallows and looks over to Christopher.

“Can you Dad see?”

“Yes,” Christopher leans against Buck, patting his arm, and watches as Buck turns the card so that Dad can see it too. Like Buck, Dad’s eyes go wide, and he’s speechless. Christopher had chosen his words carefully. That was what his teachers had always taught him; pick your words carefully, because you want it to have the right meaning. For once, Christopher didn’t struggle with finding or writing down any words.

“Dear Buck,” The card started out. “I am happy that you are marrying Dad. I can’t wait. I really, really like having you live with us and that you are staying forever. You make Dad and I super happy. I want to ask you for something.” On the next page was the question that had been rattling around his head since Dad had proposed. “Will you adopt me?” Then, two choices: yes or no. Christopher had also written down the instructions to circle one. On the bottom was a long line.

“If you sign it, you can adopt me,” Christopher says. Buck’s eyes are misty now, and he’s familiar with it to know that Buck is close to crying, and a quick look at Dad shows that he isn’t that far behind. “I know you and Dad are team, but we can be one, too, right?”

“Yeah,” Buck nods, brushing at his eyes, and gathers Christopher in a tight hug. “Yeah, Christopher we can be a team. Are you sure about this?”

“Since Dad asked you to marry him,” Christopher had known then. “I wanted to make it special for you.” Dad laughs, hugging them both,

“That’s why you wanted a new pack of markers, huh?”

“Yep!”

“You got a pen in there, bud?” Buck asks and Christopher thrusts one at him, practically vibrating in excitement as Buck signs the line. This one, Christopher notes, will definitely go on the fridge.


	38. Chapter 38

**66\. Visual**

It started happening two weeks post rebar accident. Chimney had been attempting to read over the book that Hen had brought him, in an effort to provide him with something to do as he recovered, and it was taking him longer than normal to read the page. Parts of the sentence were blurry, and Chimney rubbed his eyes, thinking that would solve the problem. It didn’t. Once he was aware of that, he began to notice other things, like how when he looked around his room stuff continued to be blurry and that terrified him.

Clear vision was essential for his line of work. A call to his doctor landed him back in the exam room, preforming a basic vision test, only to have to the results send him off to an eye doctor. More vision tests, a lot more questions, and it left Chimney uneasy. The doctor, however, was optimistic.

“Blurry vision can be unnerving,” He started as Chimney sat in the uncomfortable black chair. “The good news is that I believe it will clear up with time. The bad news is that I can’t estimate how long that will take or if your vision will return to its prior level of function.”

“So, what are you suggesting? That I get used to having my sight all messed up for the rest of my life,” Chimney wasn’t trying to be dramatic. The past couple of weeks had been long and exhausting, filled with tons of doctors and evaluations and the same comment, “you shouldn’t be alive, you’re lucky.”

“I’m recommending glasses for everyday use. Nothing major, just enough to focus everything and then we can re-evaluate when you come back in the next few months,” The doctor explained.

So, Chimney picked out a pair of glasses, and hoped for the best. The frames were solid black, nothing too flashy, and he sent a selfie off to Hen with the caption of “check out my new look”. Predictably, Hen responded within several minutes, along with Buck and Bobby, everyone collectively losing their minds. The best part was that no one was freaking out over why he got the glasses; no, they were freaking out over how it made him look.

Buck was insisting that glasses made anyone look sexier, Hen was demanding that they go out again, and Bobby just sent over several laughing emojis. Getting use to wearing glasses was a bit of a learning curve. Chimney almost broke them within the first week, knocking them off the bedside table one morning, sending them flying to the floor. Thankfully, the glass wasn’t damaged, which was good as he didn’t need another bill on top of the ones he already had.

Then there was the problem with getting use to them sitting on his nose, the clear bits designed to grip the sides of his nose foreign to his skin. Chimney would go to rub his eye and bump against the glasses before he learned he could go under the frames.

“I think they make you look hot,” Hen said one night. Chimney, in an effort to starve off cabin fever and boredom, had begged Hen and Buck to come over. The pair had obliged, Hen taking over cooking duties for the night, and Chimney didn’t whine too much about it.

“Really? I still can’t used to them,” Chimney complained.

“It takes a little while. I couldn’t get used to how it felt around my ears so I switched over to contacts,” Buck remarked. Chimney paused as he lifted a forkful of pasta and stared at Buck. “What?”

“You wear glasses?”

“I used to,” Buck corrected. “I got contacts a while back, it’s a lot easier to manage, and I can wear them for 24-hours before I need to change them out.”

“We’re in the same club, all three of us!” Chimney exclaimed. Hen and Buck blinked at him. “The glasses club! All of us have poor vision!” Chimney was delighted. Hen didn’t complain much abut wearing glasses, only when it tended to rain, causing the glass the fog up.

“Oh, god, he’s going to want to make t-shirts or something,” Buck moaned.

“We could totally get shirts!” Chimney enjoyed the twin groans of protest from his friends. “Come on, guys, what else am I supposed to do while I wait to come back?”

“Read a book. Start a garden. Not make a little club, Chim,” Hen said.

“But none of us are in any clubs anyway, this could be our only chance,” Chimney begged. Hen frowned, shook her head, and took her plate to the sink. Buck, on the other hand, was clearly on the fence. “You could help design the shirts, Buckaroo.”

“Do not tempt him!” Hen scolded. “No t-shirts.” Chimney’s phone pinged and he looked down to see a message from Buck.

<<< Buck: We could do something other than a t-shirt. Like wrist bracelets.

>>> Chimney: I love it.

“Fine,” Chimney agreed. “No shirts.”

They played video games together, Chimney trying to get by on the Mario race track, while Hen and Buck shouted at each other for first and second. He grinned as the added bonus of a blue shell came up, Chimney using it immediately, and waited.

“Chim!” Buck cried, losing his lead, causing Hen to zoom past him. “How could you?”

“I’m in eight place, Buck, eight! What else am I supposed to do?” Hen laughed, taking first place, Buck second, and Chimney managing to get sixth by the skin of his teeth. Of course, they couldn’t play for much longer; Hen had to get home, and Buck was slated for an early morning shift.

“Better get your beauty sleep,” Hen teased. She faux whispered to Chimney, “Him and Aby have another date.”

“Oh, getting serious, are we?” Chimney piled on. Buck rolled his eyes, not giving much away, and Chimney was confident that he could get some details out in the near future. Several hours later, his phone pinged again.

<<< Buck: This is the brand of contacts I like. You could ask your doctor to try them out if the glasses are still bugging you.

>>> Chimney: I’ve never put anything near my eyes.

<<< Buck: Not even eye drops? You’ve never had your eyes dilated before?

>>> Chimney: They’ve had to hold my head so I don’t move.

<<< Buck: Think about it. If you want, I can show you, doesn’t take much practice.

Chimney smiled; Buck may try to act like a guy who didn’t care, but make one tiny comment, and soon he was the one offering suggestions.

>>> Chimney: I’ll let you know.

A week later, after another instance of the glasses being accidently knocked off his face, Chimney called up his doctor to ask about the contacts. Hen had way too much fun taking videos and pictures as Buck tried to walk him through the process of putting the contacts in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of this story! The new, and last, story should be up by the end of this weekend. Hope everyone is doing good!

**Author's Note:**

> Back again for the second part of the series! I' very excited for these ones to start coming out (I'm apologizing in advance for tomorrow, I really put Buck through the wringer), and all the love you showed me on my first 911 fic was very heartwarming <3 Thank you all so much!
> 
> So, read, enjoy, and stay safe peeps!


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